Volume 7, Issue 4 (December 2025)                   IEEPJ 2025, 7(4): 1-16 | Back to browse issues page

XML Print


Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:

Mirkalantar V, Navabakhsh M, Ghadimi B. (2025). A Sociological Analysis of the Reflection of Urban Social Crises on the Social Capital of Employees in the Ahvaz Oil Industry. IEEPJ. 7(4), 1-16.
URL: http://ieepj.hormozgan.ac.ir/article-1-1120-en.html
1- PhD Student, Department of Sociology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2- Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran , navabakhsh@srbiau.ac.ir
3- Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract:   (5416 Views)

Objective: The present study aims to analyze the sociological effects of urban social crises on the level of social capital among employees of the Ahvaz oil industry. Given the strategic importance of the oil sector and the complex social conditions of Ahvaz as a metropolitan city facing multiple urban crises, this research seeks to examine how such crises influence social trust, social participation, and organizational cohesion among employees.
Methods: This study adopts a quantitative research design using a survey method. The statistical population consists of employees working in the Ahvaz oil industry. A sample was selected using stratified random sampling. Data were collected through a standardized questionnaire measuring urban social crises and dimensions of social capital, including social trust, social participation, social networks, and institutional cohesion. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software, employing descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multivariate regression techniques.
Results: The findings indicate a significant negative relationship between urban social crises and social capital among employees of the Ahvaz oil industry. Higher levels of perceived urban social crises—such as social insecurity, environmental degradation, unemployment, and declining public services—were associated with lower levels of social trust, reduced social participation, and weakened organizational relationships. Regression analysis showed that urban social crises significantly predict changes in employees’ social capital, with social trust being the most affected dimension.
Conclusions: The results suggest that urban social crises play a crucial role in shaping the social capital of organizational employees, particularly in strategic industries such as oil. Addressing urban social challenges and improving social stability can contribute to strengthening social capital, enhancing organizational commitment, and improving employee well-being. Policymakers and organizational managers are encouraged to consider urban social conditions as a key factor in human resource and organizational development strategies.

Full-Text [PDF 434 kb]   (1492 Downloads)    
Type of Study: Original | Subject: Evolutionary Psychology
Received: 2025/07/11 | Accepted: 2025/09/12 | Published: 2025/12/1

References
1. Bahraini, S., Kianpour, A., & Mohammadi, A. (2004). Social impacts of urban-industrial development in oil-producing regions: The case of Ahvaz. University Press.
2. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. [DOI:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa]
3. Chen, R., Sun, C., Chen, J. J., Jen, H. J., Kang, X. L., Kao, C. C., & Chou, K. R. (2020). A large-scale survey on trauma, burnout, and posttraumatic growth among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 29(5), 901-912. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32896954/
4. Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94, S95-S120. [DOI:10.1086/228943]
5. Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
6. Durkheim, É. (1997). On social cohesion and anomie. Free Press.
7. Esmaeili, N., & Rezaeirad, M. (2023). Examining the mediating role of employees' social capital in the relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and job performance. Journal of Research and Innovation in Education and Development, 3(3), 75-86. https://jsied.org/index.php/jsied/article/view/153 [DOI:10.61838/jsied.3.3.7]
8. Fukuyama, F. (1995). Trust: The social virtues and the creation of prosperity. Free Press.
9. Fukuyama, F. (2011). The origins of political order: From prehuman times to the French Revolution. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
10. Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and self-identity: Self and society in the late modern age. Stanford University Press.
11. Habermas, J. (1987). The theory of communicative action (Vol. 2). Beacon Press.
12. Hauser, C., Perkmann, U., Puntscher, S., Walde, J., & Tappeiner, G. (2016). Trust works! Sources and effects of social capital in the workplace. Social Indicators Research, 128(2), 589-608. [DOI:10.1007/s11205-015-1045-z]
13. Hosseini Pour, D., & Azar, M. (2022). Examining the relationship between social capital, intellectual capital, and knowledge management in Iran Insurance. Directory of Open Access Journals. https://doaj.org/article/5f4175a78b0f41e190cac4b5efce08db
14. Karaimi, A., & Jahan, J. (2022). Designing a model for the relationship between moral intelligence and organizational social capital (Case study: Managers and employees of the Youth and Sports Administration of Kermanshah province). Sociology of Education and Training, 6(2), 174-183. https://www.iase-jrn.ir/index.php/se/article/view/167
15. Kokubun, K., Ino, Y., & Ishimura, K. (2020). Social capital and resilience make an employee cooperate for coronavirus measures and lower his/her turnover intention. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/2007.07963
16. Li, J., Yang, W., & Peng, Y. (2014). Workplace social capital and mental health: Evidence from Finnish employees. Social Science & Medicine, 66(3), 637-649. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24404199/ [DOI:10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.06.014]
17. Nielsen, M. B., & Rugulies, R. (2016). Workplace social capital and risk of long-term sickness absence: Are associations modified by occupational grade? European Journal of Public Health, 26(2), 328-333. [DOI:10.1093/eurpub/ckv197]
18. Oksanen, T., Kouvonen, A., Väänänen, A., Kivimäki, M., & Virtanen, M. (2012). Workplace social capital and risk of chronic and severe hypertension: A cohort study. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 66(6), 495-500. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22525202/ [DOI:10.1097/HJH.0b013e32835377ed]
19. Paxton, P. (1999). Is social capital declining in the United States? A multiple indicator assessment. American Journal of Sociology, 105(1), 88-127. [DOI:10.1086/210268]
20. Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. Simon & Schuster. [DOI:10.1145/358916.361990]
21. Rezaei, F., & Naseri, S. (2023). Predicting employees' productivity based on transformational leadership style and organizational social capital commitment. Journal of Personal Development and Organizational Transformation, 1(2), 52-64. https://journalpdot.com/index.php/jpdot/article/view/11
22. Scott, W. R. (2014). Organizations and organizing: Rational, natural and open system perspectives (5th ed.). Routledge.
23. Van der Gaag, M., & Snijders, T. A. B. (2005). The resource generator: Social capital quantification with concrete items. Social Networks, 27(1), 1-29. [DOI:10.1016/j.socnet.2004.10.001]
24. Viswesvaran, C., Sanchez, J. I., & Fisher, J. (1999). The role of social support in the process of work stress: A meta-analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 54(2), 314-334. [DOI:10.1006/jvbe.1998.1661]
25. Xie, B., Tang, C., & Jiang, H. (2022). Workplace social capital and turnover intention: Evidence from Chinese hospitals. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 36(1), 78-93. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35954943/

Add your comments about this article : Your username or Email:
CAPTCHA

Send email to the article author


Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.