Browsing by Subject "Governance"
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Item MBC Ventures, Inc.: An Employee Stock Ownership Plan with a union partner(2013) Hoffman, Richard C.; Brown, M. O. Jr; Shipper, FrankMBC Ventures, Inc. is a 161 year-old company that is going through both product and organizational transitions. It has left one of its traditional product lines, paint brushes, behind and has developed a new one, solar panels. The organization has gone from being part of a large diversified conglomerate to a small employee-owned company with two distinct product lines. The second product line, solar panels, has been added only recently. The organization has gone from being a product unit within a hierarchically-oriented, large diversified conglomerate to an independent, team-oriented, egalitarian organization. The conglomerate was a publically traded organization; whereas, MBC Ventures is employee owned. The transition to employee ownership would not have been possible without the cooperation and financial assistance of the United Steelworkers union. These transitions that have occurred since 1990 have not been without problems including two major recessions. Currently, the company is doing quite well. This case discusses how the firm has implemented employee ownership and participatory management, and its decision to diversify into a new growth product line. Some financial results are provided.Item Public Value in Privatization: The Military Housing Privatization Initiative of 1996(2021-12) Helwig, Bob; Naylor, Lorenda; Gibson, Ed; Callahan, John; University of Baltimore. College of Public Affairs; University of Baltimore. Doctor of Public AdministrationThis case study examines the public value created by the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) of 1996. It applies Moore’s (2005) theoretical proposition that public managers should create public value to one example of social infrastructure privatization, military family housing. Under the MHPI, the United States Department of Defense conveyed its domestic inventory of largely inadequate family housing to private entities in order to accelerate revitalization of the housing and to reduce the long-term costs of operations and management. This study examines whether the program’s public purpose, public-private governance, and public value measurement were appropriately aligned and whether any misalignment of those program elements caused problems, which in turn reduced public value creation. The key findings are identified and an analytical framework in which to evaluate public and private co-production of infrastructure is provided.Item Why Technology for Caregivers Fail: A Qualitative Study of GPS-Based Technology Supporting Alzheimer’s Caregivers(2018-02) Lee, Jaime; Walsh, Greg; Summers, Kathryn; University of Baltimore. Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences; Master of Science in Interaction Design and Information ArchitectureThe purpose of this research is to understand the usability challenges of wearable Global Positioning System (GPS)-based technologies for at home caregivers managing wandering effects for loved ones with Dementia, specifically those with Alzheimer's disease. A total of four devices and 14 U.S. participants were studied using semi-structured, in-person qualitative usability methodology and an open coding system in the style of Grounded Theory. Though the study evaluated issues solely related to usability, the results expanded to a much larger design paradigm to be considered for improved and more directed solutions for future advancements that is symbiotic between a company and its end user. The proposed "life-proofing ecosystem", which contains eight pillars within its framework (user experience, customer experience, accessibility, governance, marketing, business, technology, cultural sensitivity) aims for more balanced product evolutions and progressive innovation. Future studies may provide scalar measurements for assessments beyond the proposed framework and ecosystem. Ultimately, the goal is to provide practical guidelines for designing life-proof solutions in today's highly connected society.