The Foundation for Enterprise Development | Teaching Fellowships & Research

Scientific and technological (S&T) innovation will be a significant factor in the future economic and political health of the United States.

There is a demonstrable track record of organizations inventing and marketing transformative technologies using broad-based equity compensation for their employees as part of creating an organizational culture capable of attracting the best minds, developing innovation, pleasing customers, and changing the world for the better.

The FED supports and works with leading universities and other foundations/associations in the areas of participative employee ownership and entrepreneurship in science and technology. The FED seeks to catalyze breakthrough initiatives in otherwise overlooked areas of research, policy development, education, and knowledge sharing.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): Shared Equity Use for Clean Technology Advancement
The MIT Sloan School of Management's Initiative for Sustainable Business and Society will utilize this fellowship to support student projects on employee ownership. Students under the supervision of Professors Richard Locke and John Sterman will employ the Initiative's curriculum opportunities to examine and develop employee-owned business models in emerging clean/green technology companies. The FED hopes that the result of this work will inspire the design and construction of a "management flight simulator" representing a startup firm in the clean/green technology sector.

San Diego State University (SDSU), College of Business Administration, Entrepreneurial Management Center: Organizational and Equity Practices of San Diego Life Sciences and Technology Companies
This fellowship will support research and teaching module development. The research will focus on impact of employee ownership on a firm's performance by describing differences between adopters and non-adopters and identifying mechanisms through which the value of employee ownership is maximized. The teaching module development will focus on creation of case studies that can be used in the classroom and design of teaching modules to deliver research findings and conclusions to the San Diego life sciences and entrepreneurial communities.

The Aspen Institute: Broad Dissemination of Employee-Ownership Teaching Materials to Business Educators
The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering enlightened leadership and open-minded dialogue. As part of the Institute's Business and Society Program, the Center for Business Education (CBE) maintains close ties with major MBA programs in 23 countries. This grant funds the CBE network, publications, distribution systems and awards program to identify and disseminate employee ownership teaching materials to over 110 business schools. With generous underwriting and participation from the Employee Ownership Foundation (EOF), this collaborative project was initiated in March 2008.

The Beyster Institute: Academic case studies of employee-owned companies
The Beyster Institute is commissioned to manage and coordinate the completion and publication of two academic case studies led by Anne T. Lawrence, Professor of Business, San Jose State University, CA, and David W. Rosenthal, Professor of Marketing, Miami University, OH. By producing well-written case studies that meet the academic standards expected of leading business schools, the results of this effort can significantly impact the awareness of employee ownership in business school curricula.

Rutgers University: Case Studies on Employee Ownership: A Review (PDF, 108k)
Dr. Joseph Blasi of Rutgers University conducted a systematic review of case studies incorporating employee ownership -- including profit/gain sharing, broad-based stock programs, and ESOP using the case study libraries of major US schools that produce cases. The article was published by the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) in the Journal of Employee Ownership Law and Finance. To subscribe to this journal, click here.

UCSD $50k Entrepreneurship Competition Sponsorship
Last year was their first year for the business plan competition and it had terrific results. The competition is focused on starting real companies in science and technology. Awardees offered solutions for military sensor applications, cancer therapy, and internet video. The 2007/2008 competition will increasingly expose students to the strategy, benefits, and practices of entrepreneurial employee ownership.

CONNECT FrameWorks Sponsorship for The Employee Ownership Alternative
This FrameWorks workshop series explores the nuts and bolts of building and operating a company that puts ownership in the hands of those who generate the company's achievements. The workshop features expertise provided by senior consultants from the Beyster Institute at UCSD as well as hands-on experience from experienced employee-owners.

Cornell University: Employee Ownership Research Network (EORN) Sponsorship to the EURAM Conference
The EORN is a network of young academics from Europe and North America with interests in employee ownership. In 2007, they assembled for the annual conference of the European Academy of Management, and presented nine papers. These papers demonstrate the vibrant state of current research on employee ownership across the globe, the significant gaps that remain in our understanding of the influence of employee ownership on employee attitudes and behaviors, and the link between these individual level outcomes and firm performance. To learn more contact Ed Carberry at Cornell University [ejc36@cornell.edu]

Syracuse University and The Beyster Institute: Teaching "A New Tool for Entrepreneurship Educators: Using Employee Ownership For Inspiration and Motivation in Entrepreneurship Ventures"
FED is supporting the Experiential Classroom by the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University as a test bed for the Beyster Institute to introduce employee ownership curriculum to leading entrepreneurship professors in the nation. This program provides an opportunity for piloting new employee ownership educational materials for entrepreneurship classes and curriculum.

York University: Employee ownership study of studies
A review of the past 30 years of research on employee ownership and its impact is complete. This review is the result of a broad and exhaustive international search of research that specifically deals with the consequences of employee ownership and that used quantitative research methods as a basis of research. The majority of the 130 research studies found favorable effects related to employee ownership. These positive effects do not come automatically with stock ownership. Participation in decision-making is essential as well as a number of other people management practices. To learn more about this report and its findings, contact Eric Kaarsemaker of York University.