PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing today announced the launch of its first massive open online course (MOOC). “Our Share: Employee Ownership as a Wealth Sharing Tool” introduces key concepts to business owners, employees, policymakers, professors, students, and anyone interested in wealth equity in companies. It is the first course on the virtual learning platform Coursera focused on shares in the workplace.
“Employee share ownership holds enormous potential for workers, businesses, and local economies, and this course shows how it’s done,” said Adria Scharf, Director of Education and Collaboration at Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing. “Students will learn what employee share ownership means, how it differs from traditional business models, which forms it takes, and what the research shows.”
Scharf developed the curriculum with support from Mary Ann Beyster and the Beyster Foundation for Enterprise Development. The course draws on information from the Institute’s research fellows, the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO), the Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI), the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives, and other sources. It is delivered in a series of short, engaging videos that students can view at their own pace.
Business owners will discover how employee share ownership can improve productivity and provide a powerful succession strategy. Those interested in creating an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) or worker co-operative will learn which questions to ask, where to go for assistance, and how to navigate the conversion.
Employees will discover how gaining an ownership stake in the business where they work can build wealth on top of wages alone. This could be especially impactful for low-income and moderate-income workers. Policymakers will see how employee share ownership can protect jobs and boost local economies.
The curriculum is also relevant to professors and students in numerous fields including business, economics, entrepreneurship, human resource management, labor studies, law, organizational behavior, public policy, and sociology.
The course is free. There is a small fee only for those students who wish to obtain a certificate to add to their LinkedIn profile or resume.
Instructors
- Joseph Blasi, J. Robert Beyster Distinguished Professor and Director, Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing
- Adria Scharf, Director of Education and Collaboration, Rutgers Institute for the Study for Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing
Expert Course Presenters
- Jennifer Briggs, Executive Fellow, Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing
- William Castellano, Professor and Director, NJ/NY Center for Employee Ownership, Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing
- Adriane Clomax, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Southern California | Corey Rosen Fellow, Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing
- Joo Hun Han, Associate Professor of Human Resource Management, Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations
- Esteban Kelly, Executive Director, U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives
- Douglas Kruse, Distinguished Professor and Associate Director, Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing
- Christopher Michael, Managing Director, Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing
- Jessica Gordon Nembhard, Professor of Community Justice and Social Economic Development, John Jay College, City University of New York | Faculty Fellow and Mentor, Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing
- Sanjay Pinto, Co-Director, Project on Unions and Worker Ownership
- Corey Rosen, Founder, National Center for Employee Ownership
- Laura Hanson Schlachter, Research Analyst, Americorps | Research Fellow, Rutgers Institute for the Study for Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing
- Jarret Schlaff, Co-Founder, Pingree Detroit (a worker co-operative)
- Tracy Till, Co-Founder, Butler/Till (a 100% employee-owned ESOP company)
Press Contact
Steve Flamisch
Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations
848.252.9011 (cell)
steve.flamisch@smlr.rutgers.edu
About the School
The Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR) is the world’s leading source of expertise on managing and representing workers, designing effective organizations, and building strong employment relationships.
About the Institute
SMLR’s Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing conducts empirical research, analyzes policy, and sponsors the leading global fellowship program and academic conferences in the field. The Institute also manages a program to help college professors teach about these subjects (The Curriculum Library for Employee Ownership) and a technical assistance center (The NJ/NY Center for Employee Ownership). One recent initiative (The Employee Ownership Online Education Program), sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, features free online videos to help retiring business owners sell to their employees.
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