Broad Dissemination of Employee Ownership Teaching Materials

Earlier this year we discussed the first ever MBA Course in Employee Ownership and the benefits of including employee ownership in academic discussions. A recent press release discusses how the Employee Ownership Foundation and the Foundation for Enterprise Development are providing a grant "to disseminate employee ownership teaching materials":

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. A grant to disseminate employee ownership teaching materials from the Foundation for Enterprise Development (FED) to the CBE of the Aspen Institute received substantial funding from the Employee Ownership Foundation. 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. This collaborative project by the Foundation, FED, and CBE was initiated in March 2008.

Here is some additional information on the various organizations mentioned in the press release:

• The Foundation for Enterprise Development (FED) was established by Dr. J. Robert Beyster, founder of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), to promote "business principles and practices that encourage free enterprise and advance science and technology innovations with impact on nationally important interests."
  
• According to the press release, the Employee Ownership Foundation is the ESOP Association's "affiliated 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting employee ownership" and the core cause of the Foundation "is the belief that employee ownership will improve American competitiveness, increase productivity through greater employee participation, and strengthen our free enterprise economy."
  
• The Aspen Institute is a nonprofit organization "dedicated to fostering enlightened leadership and open-minded dialogue".
  
• The Business and Society Program is an Aspen Institute program designed to develop leaders:
  
  The Business and Society Program is dedicated to developing leaders for a sustainable global society. Through dialogues and path-breaking research, we create opportunities for executives and educators to explore new pathways to sustainability and values-based leadership. BSP's websites, www.CasePlace.org and www.beyondgreypinstripes.org, are the leading sources of innovative curriculum in top business schools around the world. The Business and Society Program is an independently-funded policy program of the Aspen Institute.
  
  
• The Aspen Institute's Center for Business Education (CBE) is part of the Business and Society Program. It "encourages future business leaders to innovate at the intersection of corporate profits and social impacts. Our goal is bold and long-term: to radically re-orient the MBA degree to embrace the principles of corporate citizenship and sustainability."
  
  
• CASEPLACE.org, an Aspen Institute online resource, contains "up-to-date case studies, syllabi, and innovative teaching materials on business and sustainability — from corporate governance to sustainable development." The employee ownership topic currently contains 28 entries.