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- All Subjects: Case Study
- Creators: Richards, Timothy
- Creators: Fischman, Gustavo E.
- Creators: School of Community Resources and Development
- Status: Published
Description
This study examined the experiences of first-generation college students who were enrolled in online degree programs at a traditional brick-and-mortar university located in the western United States. These students were viewed as "double first-generation" because they were not only the first in their family to pursue a bachelor's degree, but were also among the first generation in the history of American higher education to pursue public, postsecondary education in an entirely online format. The research was designed as a multiple methods case study that emphasized qualitative methods. Being exploratory in nature, the study focused on participant characteristics and the ways that they responded to and persisted in online degree programs. Data was collected through research that was conducted entirely online; it included an e-survey, two asynchronous focus groups, and individual interviews that were conducted via Skype. Grounded theory served as the primary method for data analysis, while quantitative descriptive statistics contextualized the case. The results of this study provide a window into the micro- and macro-level tensions at play in public, online postsecondary education. The findings indicate that these pioneering and traditionally underserved students drew from their diverse backgrounds to persist toward degree completion, overcoming challenges associated with time and finances, in hopes that their efforts would bring career and social mobility. As one of the first studies to critically examine the case of double first-generation college students, this study extends the literature in meaningful ways to provide valuable insights for policymakers, administrators, faculty, and staff who are involved with this population.
ContributorsShea, Jennifer Dawn (Author) / Fischman, Gustavo E. (Thesis advisor) / De Los Santos Jr, Alfredo G. (Committee member) / Ewing, Kris (Committee member) / Archambault, Leanna (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
The nonprofit sector has experienced exponential growth in recent decades, thus creating a separate industry for nonprofits—an industry that requires education and training to run efficiently and successfully. As a result, Nonprofit Management Education (NME) at both graduate and undergraduate levels has steadily increased in number and demand. Recent changes in the political climate and changes in the government funding present new challenges to nonprofit professionals, thus enhancing the value of specific NME to prepare professionals for these challenges. To leverage NME and ensure that students are adequately prepared for these challenges, it is important to design curriculum that addresses the needs of the growing nonprofit industry. The Nonprofit Academic Center of Councils is the creator of the NACC Curricular Guidelines, which are currently used as a model all NME curricula should emulate. This study utilizes Arizona State University (ASU) to compare its current curriculum model to the NACC Curricular Guidelines, as well as the current challenges facing the nonprofit sector. In so doing, this study will provide an in-depth overview of NME at ASU through 1) focus groups of nonprofit leaders; 2) survey data from former students; and 3) curriculum mapping.
The comprehensive results indicated areas of opportunity for both ASU and the NACC Curricular Guidelines. According to the feedback of students, nonprofit professionals, and the current state of the ASU curriculum, ASU may wish to increase emphasis on Financial Management, Managing Staff and Volunteers, Assessment, Evaluation, and Decision Making, and Leading and Managing Nonprofit Organizations. After considering feedback from nonprofit professionals, NACC may consider amending some new competencies that reflect an emphasis on collective impact, cross sector leadership, or relationship building and the use of technology for nonprofit impact. The research team recommends accomplishing these changes through enhancing pedagogy by including case studies and an integrated curriculum into the ASU NME program. by applying the suggested changes to both the ASU curriculum and the NACC guidelines, this research prepares both ASU and NACC towards the process of accreditation and formalizing the NLM degree on a national level.
The comprehensive results indicated areas of opportunity for both ASU and the NACC Curricular Guidelines. According to the feedback of students, nonprofit professionals, and the current state of the ASU curriculum, ASU may wish to increase emphasis on Financial Management, Managing Staff and Volunteers, Assessment, Evaluation, and Decision Making, and Leading and Managing Nonprofit Organizations. After considering feedback from nonprofit professionals, NACC may consider amending some new competencies that reflect an emphasis on collective impact, cross sector leadership, or relationship building and the use of technology for nonprofit impact. The research team recommends accomplishing these changes through enhancing pedagogy by including case studies and an integrated curriculum into the ASU NME program. by applying the suggested changes to both the ASU curriculum and the NACC guidelines, this research prepares both ASU and NACC towards the process of accreditation and formalizing the NLM degree on a national level.
ContributorsFindlay, Molly Rebecca (Author) / Legg, Eric (Thesis director) / Ashcraft, Robert (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
Social enterprises strive to tackle social problems, improve the lives of the people around them and help create a sustainable environment. Three specific enterprises will be analyzed to illustrate the differences between management styles, mission, financials and overall successes. There are numerous social enterprises in the southwest of the United States of America, some show more success than others, but what separates them? What commonalities do some of these enterprises share that allow them to be more successful than the rest? Is there a common denominator for enterprises to follow that will allow them to have success financially as well as accomplish their goals to better the community around them? Free Arts for Abused Children or Arizona, Seed Spot and Goodmans, we are able to better distinguish what factors allow enterprises to succeed. Due to the nature of social enterprises being able to be qualified as different types of organizations, i.e., company with shareholders, nonprofit organizations, etc. it is difficult to pin point a concrete model social enterprises should follow today. However, a finding that made all three of these social enterprises successful were their governance and ownership structures. Each enterprise consisted of a board that helped the enterprise stay on track with their given mission. Boards are also responsible for making major decisions that can impact the organization as well as being responsible for fundraising and making various financial decisions. After analyzing their structures, it was evident that all three enterprises consisted of strong governance structures. Although enterprises may not be able to follow a distinct model in order to be successful, they are able to place a board in control that aligns with the social enterprises mission and has a variety of knowledge that allows the board to make sound decisions. Keywords: social enterprise, management, governance, success, mission, financials
ContributorsButzbach, Jennifer Lauren (Author) / Shockley, Gordon (Thesis director) / Foroughi-Mobarakeh, Behrang (Committee member) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
Community colleges, like all higher education institutions in the United States, have not been immune to the increased national focus on educational accountability and institutional effectiveness over the past three decades. Federal and non-governmental initiatives aimed at tracking and reporting on institutional outcomes have focused on utilitarian academic and economic measures of student success that homogenize the goals, aspirations, and challenges of the individuals who attend these unique open-access institutions. This dissertation, which is comprised of three submission-ready scholarly peer-reviewed articles, examined community college students’ conceptualizations and valuations of “student success.” The research project was designed as a multiple methods single-site case study, and the data sources consisted of a large-scale student e-survey, follow-up semi-structured interviews with a heterogeneous group of students, semi-structured interviews with faculty and administrators, and a review of institutional documents. The interviews also incorporated two experimental visual elicitation techniques and a participatory ranking exercise. Article One introduces and operationalizes the author’s primary conceptual perspective, the capabilities approach, to develop a more comprehensive framework for understanding and evaluating community college student outcomes. This article documents the methodological process used to generate a theoretical and an empirical list of community college capabilities, which serve as the basis of future capabilities-based research on community college student success. Article Two draws on the student interview and student visual elicitation data to explore the capability category of “refuge” – a new, unexpected, and student-valued purpose of the community college as a safe escape from the complexities and demands of personal, home, and work life. In light of recent efforts to promote more structured and prescriptive college experiences to improve graduation rates, Article Three explores students’ perceptions of their pathways through the community college using the participant-generated and researcher-generated visual elicitation data. Findings indicate that students value the structure and the flexibility community colleges offer, as well as their own ability to be agents and architects of their educational experience. Taken together, these articles suggest that student success is less linear and more rhizomatic in structure than it is currently portrayed in the literature.
ContributorsTopper, Amelia Marcetti (Author) / Powers, Jeanne M. (Thesis advisor) / De Los Santos, Jr., Alfredo G. (Committee member) / Fischman, Gustavo E. (Committee member) / Schugurensky, Daniel, 1958- (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
The goal of this project is to improve the efficiency of operations for Quincea Social Enterprise. I aim to achieve this goal by interviewing market participants to make recommendations for how Quincea Social Enterprise can best utilize resources to deliver vegetables, fruits and herbs to their key institutional customers (schools, churches, hospitals, group homes and corporate cafeterias). This thesis views Quincea through the lens of the Social Enterprise Business Model and compares its organization to serve underemployed groups including veterans and adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD Adults) 1. Throughout my research, I use supply chain theory and network structure to inform supply chain strategy, optimize logistics, and integrate the supply chain organization, processes and technology. My insights are grounded in the supply chain literature, and a comparison with other non-profit operations. This thesis identifies the resources, capabilities, and partnerships needed for a successful social enterprise. The key findings include: a) Quincea’s unique business model exhibits promising potential for cost-effectively creations of jobs for adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities; b) an important strength is the depth of its public and private sector strategic partnerships; c) another important organizational advantage is its emphasis on operational efficiencies and being price competitive, rather than having its social mission drive sales d) its efforts to document its strategies and operating plans, along with securing many partnerships with national corporations, should facilitate program geographic expansion; e) the emphasis on social impact metrics should make it easier to measure program effectiveness and to attract additional strategic partners; and f) the economic self-sustaining business model exhibits promising potential to expand operations, while having reduced dependency on government, foundation and individual donor subsidies to scale operations.
ContributorsStephens, Natalie (Author) / Richards, Timothy (Thesis director) / Hall, Jonathan (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Four Peaks Brewing Company, a business case study written by Megan Hahn, is a case study thematic to supply chain management. Framed as supplement learning material, this case study gives students the chance to understand real-life business scenarios. This case enables its readers to analyze business issues from a variety of perspectives and apply critical thinking and problem solving skills providing invaluable understanding of different supply chain management concepts and strategies.
This case tells the tale of Four Peaks Brewing Co, an Arizona brewery recently acquired by Anheuser-Busch, facing an aluminum shortage and an influx of demand brought on by shifting consumer habits during the COVID-19 pandemic. This case provides an opportunity to explore the important role of sourcing and procurement in a low-margin, high demand, complex beverage production system. Differing from supply chain cases about technology or car manufacturing firms, the food/beverage industry introduces new levels of supply chain risk and complexity. Requiring the use of supply chain strategy, understanding supply constraints in multi-echelon supply systems, and inventory concepts, Four Peaks Brewing Co. allows students to apply conceptual material learned in class to an interesting and relevant real-life example.
Central to this case is Denise’s decision on which can supplier to choose for the new product, the Sun Day seltzer. With differing lead times, costs, and time pressures, students are provided the opportunity to evaluate the important tradeoffs supply chain professionals face.
ContributorsHahn, Megan (Author) / Richards, Timothy (Thesis director) / Meyer, Christopher (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Morrison School of Agribusiness (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
Four Peaks Brewing Company, a business case study written by Megan Hahn, is a case study thematic to supply chain management. Framed as supplement learning material, this case study gives students the chance to understand real-life business scenarios. This case enables its readers to analyze business issues from a variety of perspectives and apply critical thinking and problem solving skills providing invaluable understanding of different supply chain management concepts and strategies. This case tells the tale of Four Peaks Brewing Co, an Arizona brewery recently acquired by Anheuser-Busch, facing an aluminum shortage and an influx of demand brought on by shifting consumer habits during the COVID-19 pandemic. This case provides an opportunity to explore the important role of sourcing and procurement in a low-margin, high demand, complex beverage production system. Differing from supply chain cases about technology or car manufacturing firms, the food/beverage industry introduces new levels of supply chain risk and complexity. Requiring the use of supply chain strategy, understanding supply constraints in multi-echelon supply systems, and inventory concepts, Four Peaks Brewing Co. allows students to apply conceptual material learned in class to an interesting and relevant real-life example. Central to this case is Denise’s decision on which can supplier to choose for the new product, the Sun Day seltzer. With differing lead times, costs, and time pressures, students are provided the opportunity to evaluate the important tradeoffs supply chain professionals face.
ContributorsHahn, Megan (Author) / Richards, Timothy (Thesis director) / Meyer, Christopher (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
Four Peaks Brewing Company, a business case study written by Megan Hahn, is a case study thematic to supply chain management. Framed as supplement learning material, this case study gives students the chance to understand real-life business scenarios. This case enables its readers to analyze business issues from a variety of perspectives and apply critical thinking and problem solving skills providing invaluable understanding of different supply chain management concepts and strategies. This case tells the tale of Four Peaks Brewing Co, an Arizona brewery recently acquired by Anheuser-Busch, facing an aluminum shortage and an influx of demand brought on by shifting consumer habits during the COVID-19 pandemic. This case provides an opportunity to explore the important role of sourcing and procurement in a low-margin, high demand, complex beverage production system. Differing from supply chain cases about technology or car manufacturing firms, the food/beverage industry introduces new levels of supply chain risk and complexity. Requiring the use of supply chain strategy, understanding supply constraints in multi-echelon supply systems, and inventory concepts, Four Peaks Brewing Co. allows students to apply conceptual material learned in class to an interesting and relevant real-life example. Central to this case is Denise’s decision on which can supplier to choose for the new product, the Sun Day seltzer. With differing lead times, costs, and time pressures, students are provided the opportunity to evaluate the important tradeoffs supply chain professionals face.
ContributorsHahn, Megan (Author) / Richards, Timothy (Thesis director) / Meyer, Christopher (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2022-05