ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.
In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.
Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.
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- All Subjects: Social Research
Description
Nonprofits provide social goods: They deliver needed community services, mobilize groups for social causes, allow individuals to express values and faith, and provide a space for people to generate social innovations. Some nonprofits may continue indefinitely; others intentionally finish operations when its mission is accomplished; yet others may experience diminished capacity to operate that lead them to stop operations temporarily or permanently (e.g., closures). This research aims to uncover the elements and conditions that lead nonprofits to discontinue operations. By challenging the dichotomous paradigm of the life course in nonprofits that assigns organizations to alive vs. dead categories, this research uses the concept of organizational discontinuity to integrate the understanding of the diverse ways in which nonprofits suspend operations. To explain organizational discontinuities, a conceptual framework rooted in organizational theories is presented. Nonprofits under study come from a national subsample of 501(c)(3) charities that reported operations in 2003 and no longer showed evidence of continued activity in 2019. To characterize the types of discontinuities, this research uses organizational autopsies, which is a research method that uses administrative and online secondary data to diagnose the operational status of nonprofits. To further understand organizational discontinuities, this research presents a closer look at two representative phenomena, closures and dissolutions of non-surviving organizations in mergers. Case studies of 36 organizations help to identify the elements associated with organizational discontinuities in nonprofits. Results include a detailed categorization of types of organizational discontinuities and an identification of the internal and external elements associated with closures and mergers in older nonprofits. Conceptually, this research aims to contribute to the discussion of organizational change in nonprofits as an irregular and multicausal process. Data and method advancements include the use of online secondary data as an alternative to breaking with the existing reliance on administrative data in studies of the nonprofit sector. Finally, the results of this research aim to inform practitioners about the capacity-building areas that organizations should strengthen to prevent discontinuity of operations.
ContributorsHernandez Ortiz, Tania Lizzeth (Author) / Hager, Mark A (Thesis advisor) / Lecy, Jesse D (Committee member) / Mook, Laurie (Committee member) / Searing, Elizabeth A M (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
This study examines the roles and impacts of U.S. foundation grantmaking for women, as well as the influences of the foundations’ institutional characteristics on their grantmaking practices by employing a mixed-methods research design. In the first quantitative phase, this study explores three major research questions: (1) How has foundation grantmaking for women changed in the U.S.? (2) Whether and how foundations’ institutional characteristics are related to their grantmaking activities for women? (3) Whether and how foundation grantmaking for women has influenced women’s status? To address these research questions, I collect and analyze data on the U.S. foundation grants for women during the period between 2005 and 2014 from the Foundation Center and data indicating women’s status at the state level from various sources. The second qualitative phase focuses on examining the second and third research questions further by employing a comparative case study approach. Specifically, I conducted semi-structured interviews with directors or staff of the selected five foundations supporting women’s causes. The results show that foundations supporting women’s causes have focused more on their advocacy role than their charitable role by distributing their grants to programs for women’s rights/studies. Additionally, a foundation is more likely to give grants for women’s rights/studies when the organization is younger, with a higher total giving size, in the Western region, in the state of liberal ideology, or an independent foundation. Furthermore, a state with a larger amount of foundation grants for women (per woman) reveals a higher women’s status. The case study findings indicate that differences exist in how foundations implement their grantmaking decisions for women and how foundations assess their grantmaking impact on women. It also shows some evidence that foundations’ grantmaking decisions and impact assessment strategies for women are affected by the foundations’ institutional characteristics such as women’s leadership. This dissertation sheds light on our understanding of current trends of U.S. foundation grantmaking for women that was less focused and makes both theoretical and practical contributions to the nonprofit sector by suggesting a framework to assess the impact of foundations in society.
ContributorsHan, Hyunrang (Author) / Wang, Lili (Thesis advisor) / Shockley, Gordon E. (Committee member) / Mook, Laurie (Committee member) / Robichau, Robbie W. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Social entrepreneurship has evolved into a global trend to promote responsible community development and social equity, including nonprofit, for-profit, or hybrid ventures that identify and exploit opportunities to promote social value and community benefit. Social entrepreneurship can be a powerful tool that shifts economic and sustainable development foci from a financial growth paradigm to a community development and community determination paradigm, promoting social justice and resource distribution equity. When considering intercession's potentiality and impact on local communities, an investigation of the role of ethics in the social entrepreneurial profession is essential. It is essential to question the assumption that social can equal ethical and investigate the possibility that the outcome of an enterprise overrides negative impacts on the stakeholders, leading to potential saviorism, colonization, and even corruption in social entrepreneurial efforts. The purpose of this study is to draw on theories of ethics to inform decision-making processes in professional social entrepreneurship. The single-case study seeks to define the ethical considerations of social entrepreneurs and what factors weigh into ventures designed to advance social equity and promote economic equilibrium for marginalized populations. Additionally, it investigates the ethical parameters by which social entrepreneurs operate and how their decision-making prioritizes community stakeholders. The research builds on the work of established critical theorists, existing professional nonprofit and entrepreneurial codes of ethics, and incorporates culturally ethical research models to propose a conceptual framework for social entrepreneurship ethics. The proposed conceptual framework aims to guide social entrepreneurs in navigating the complex interplay of ethical dilemmas, power dynamics, and cultural contexts they encounter. By synthesizing traditional ethical models, critical theory considerations, and a culturally responsive, reflexive, and relationship-based model, this framework seeks to provide a robust, adaptable approach to ethical decision-making grounded in social justice, equity, and respect for diverse cultural norms. These results have implications for entrepreneurship education and social entrepreneurship education, as well as for establishing a culturally responsive, relational, and reflexive professional code of ethics for social entrepreneurs.
ContributorsRutt, Kelly (Author) / Shockley, Gordon (Thesis advisor) / Knopf, Richard (Committee member) / Mook, Laurie (Committee member) / Talmage, Craig (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024