Sherida Ryan | University of Toronto (original) (raw)

Papers by Sherida Ryan

Internet research annual: selected papers from the Association of Internet Researchers conferences, 2005

In this volume, contributors representing an inter-regional and international network of scholars... more In this volume, contributors representing an inter-regional and international network of scholars and community organizations analyse how the social economy, in its many manifestations, interacts with and shares characteristics of organizations in the other sectors of the economy. The first study of its kind, Researching the Social Economy enriches our understanding of how this important cluster of organizations contributes to Canadian society in both economic and social terms, and lays the groundwork for future study.&amp;lt; br&amp;gt;&amp;lt; br&amp;gt; ...

Researching the Social Economy, 2010

A delayed model describing the dynamics of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) with CTL (Cytotoxic... more A delayed model describing the dynamics of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) with CTL (Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes) immune response is investigated. The model includes four nonlinear differential equations describing the evolution of uninfected, infected, free HIV viruses, and CTL immune response cells. It includes also intracellular delay and two treatments (two controls). While the aim of first treatment consists to block the viral proliferation, the role of the second is to prevent new infections. Firstly, we prove the well-posedness of the problem by establishing some positivity and boundedness results. Next, we give some conditions that insure the local asymptotic stability of the endemic and disease-free equilibria. Finally, an optimal control problem, associated with the intracellular delayed HIV model with CTL immune response, is posed and investigated. The problem is shown to have an unique solution, which is characterized via Pontryagin's minimum principle for problems with delays. Numerical simulations are performed, confirming stability of the disease-free and endemic equilibria and illustrating the effectiveness of the two incorporated treatments via optimal control.

Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 2015

This article undertakes a critique of social return on investment (SROI), combining the existing ... more This article undertakes a critique of social return on investment (SROI), combining the existing research literature with an analysis of six case studies of supported social enterprises employing people with disabilities and other challenges that affect their access to the conventional labor market. The critique of SROI focuses on its positivist roots and its emphasis on one number, the SROI ratio. It also discusses the technical challenges in producing that number, including concerns about its reliability. The article presents the stakeholder impact statement, an approach that is rooted in interpretivism and attempts to understand the impact of enterprises through the eyes of multiple stakeholders. Unlike SROI, which is a supplement to conventional accounting statements, the stakeholder impact statement integrates financial and social impact data, thereby placing them on the same level of importance.

Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 2015

International Journal of Self Help and Self Care, 2006

Vulnerability and self-disclosure make trust formation a key factor in the self-help process. How... more Vulnerability and self-disclosure make trust formation a key factor in the self-help process. However, the characteristics of online interaction challenge the development of trust. This article describes a study that explored trust and participation in two online self-help communities, one un-moderated and the other moderated. Members of the un-moderated community shared a chronic physical condition and the moderated community members had a chronic psychiatric disability. The research employed observation, analysis of online discussions, e-mail interviews, and comparisons of quantitative participation parameters. The primary difference between the two communities was the moderation process, which prevented any communication from disruptive individuals. The un-moderated community challenged disruptive or suspicious individuals, which often resulted in hostile discussions. The moderated community posted guidelines for participation and encouraged social communication, which facilitated the accumulation of history-based trust. The moderated community exhibited more participation during the observation period.

Pensions at Work: Socially Responsible Investment of Union-Based Pension Funds, May 30, 2008

The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between trust conditions and partici... more The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between trust conditions and participation in Usenet s communities. Member vulnerability and self-disclosure make trust formation an essential component in the self-help group process. However, the characteristics of computer-mediated interaction pose a challenge for the development of trust. How do you decide to trust people you have never met, whose identities are difficult to verify, in an environment where there are few mechanisms to ...

Internet Research Annual, Apr 26, 2005

When people engage online, they encounter a situation in which the traditional antecedents of tru... more When people engage online, they encounter a situation in which the traditional antecedents of trust formation either are absent or take on a different form (Friedman, Kahn, and Howe, 2000). The context for this study, a computer-mediated activist network that confronts government and big business, creates the need for trust among its members but also makes initial trust challenging to form. Although the question of trust has been raised in relation to online activist organizations, there has been little research that examines the initial trust ...

Relations industrielles, 2009

Tous droits réservés © Département des relations industrielles de l'Université Laval, 2009 Ce doc... more Tous droits réservés © Département des relations industrielles de l'Université Laval, 2009 Ce document est protégé par la loi sur le droit d'auteur. L'utilisation des services d'Érudit (y compris la reproduction) est assujettie à sa politique d'utilisation que vous pouvez consulter en ligne. https://apropos.erudit.org/fr/usagers/politique-dutilisation/ Cet article est diffusé et préservé par Érudit. Érudit est un consortium interuniversitaire sans but lucratif composé de l'

Preface Introduction: Businesses with a Difference (Laurie Mook, Jack Quarter, and Sherida Ryan) ... more Preface Introduction: Businesses with a Difference (Laurie Mook, Jack Quarter, and Sherida Ryan) Chapter 1: Historic Changes in the Canadian Credit Union Movement (Ian MacPherson) Chapter 2: Non-Financial Co-operatives in Canada: 1955 to 2005 (Jack Quarter, Laurie Mook and Jennifer Hann) Chapter 3: Co-operatives: Demutualization and Mutualization (Jorge Sousa) Chapter 4: The Difference Culture Makes: The Competitive Advantage of Reciprocal, Non-Monetary Exchange (Ana Maria Peredo) Chapter 5: Community Business Development (Greg MacLeod) Chapter 6: Businesses with a Difference in Latin America: Argentina's Worker-recuperated Enterprises and Venezuela's Socialist Production Units (Marcelo Vieta, Manuel Larrabure, and Daniel Schugurensky) Chapter 7: Top-Down and Bottom-Up: Challenges for Engaging Social Economic Businesses in Rural and Small Town Renewal (Laura Ryser and Greg Halseth) Chapter 8: Land, Self Determination and the Social Economy in Fort Albany First Nation (Jean-P...

This study explored initial trust formation in a computer-mediated social action network. The soc... more This study explored initial trust formation in a computer-mediated social action network. The social action network studied was a voluntary nonprofit organization that provided information and communication resources to individuals and groups. The risks and interdependencies inherent in the organization's work, combined with limited online identity cues, influenced not only the organization's choice of trust antecedents but also where these preconditions were found. Although online information provided cues for shared social identity, it was insufficient to extend initial trust to prospective members. The decision to approve individuals for membership required the use of offline information, specifically third party endorsement by known and trusted colleagues. Since other social action groups had public reputations, both in the real world and in the online environment, the organization felt able to extend membership to these groups with minimal or no real world vetting. Further research is required to examine the impact of information and communication technology on trust formation across contextually diverse computer-mediated social action communities. Social action groups play an important role in the non-profit sector. They advocate for marginalized communities and challenge hegemonic interests of government and big business. Successful collective action involves both risk and interdependence, making trust between participants essential. Increasingly, social activists are turning to computer-mediated communication to support their work (Deibert, 2000; Diani, 2000). Although online interaction creates new opportunities for activists, it also poses a challenge for the development of trust. In an environment where individual identities are difficult to verify and where actions cannot be easily sanctioned, text-based information may be insufficient for the development of the trust and commitment required for collective social action (Ayres, 1999; Calhoun, 1998; Tarrow, 1998). Although the question of trust has been raised in the context of online activist groups, scant research has been directed towards exploring its formation in a computer-mediated environment. Trust is contextual. Its development is shaped by the social relations inherent in specific situations (Granovetter, 1985). Online activist organizations are often subject to different vulnerabilities and interdependencies than other online communities. Social action groups rarely exist solely in an online environment (Agre, 2002). Social activists frequently have co-existing off-line and online networks of relationships and make use of a range of communication options to facilitate their work. These factors may affect which antecedents of trust are most relevant for initial trust formation.

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 2016

This article presents a study of supported social enterprise, a hybrid organization that not only... more This article presents a study of supported social enterprise, a hybrid organization that not only either employs or trains members of marginalized social groups, often on disability pensions and social assistance, but also has social welfare characteristics. These organizations sell services and goods, like other forms of social enterprise, but rely heavily on external support from government programs, foundations, and a parenting nonprofit. The article presents an empirical study using a survey and interviews of participants in these organizations from Ontario, Canada, and notes that even though they earn minimally from work in these organizations, they view the experience positively. The final discussion centers on the concept of supported social enterprise and raises the question as to whether such organizations should be viewed primarily as a form of social enterprise or as a modified form of social welfare organization.

Internet research annual: selected papers from the Association of Internet Researchers conferences, 2005

Researching the Social Economy, 2010

Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 2015

International Journal of Self Help and Self Care, 2006

Pensions at Work: Socially Responsible Investment of Union-Based Pension Funds, May 30, 2008

Internet Research Annual, Apr 26, 2005

Relations industrielles, 2009

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 2016

Researching the Social Economy is one of the first comprehensive research collections on the soci... more Researching the Social Economy is one of the first comprehensive research collections on the social economy in Canada. While the term "social economy" is used widely is Western Europe and Quebec, it has had minimal currency in English Canada, where the differences between the public and private sectors and among nonprofits, co-operatives, social enterprises, and community economic development organizations have been emphasized.

The contributions to this volume, flowing from an inter-regional and international network of scholars and community organizations, analyze how the social economy, in its many manifestations, interacts with and shares commonalities with organizations in the other sectors of the economy. Taken as a whole, Researching the Social Economy enriches our understanding of how this important cluster of organizations contributes to Canadian society in both economic and social terms, and lays the groundwork for future study.

Market-based social economy firms such as social enterprises, social purpose businesses, co-opera... more Market-based social economy firms such as social enterprises, social purpose businesses, co-operatives, credit unions, and community economic development corporations aim to meet distinct social needs while making money. Do these types of businesses have the potential for growth in the modern economy? Are they destined to function only in areas where conventional firms cannot achieve a sufficient rate of return? Or will the role of social economy organizations change as businesses begin placing more emphasis on corporate social responsibility?

Building on the popular 2010 collection Researching the Social Economy, Businesses with a Difference explores the challenges and opportunities faced by firms that seek a genuine balance between their social and economic objectives. Through international case studies, including comparative analyses, this innovative collection highlights the unique issues that must be addressed when associations are accountable not to investors and shareholders, but instead to ordinary people.