Can Niche Agriculturalists Take Notes from the Craft Beer Industry?

This industry-level case study focuses on the growth cycles of craft brewing, a niche industry. The research case is defined as the craft beer industry evolution including the surrounding institutional and consumer environments. The research goal is to provide insight for niche agriculturalists by examining the case of the successful niche craft beer industry. First, the environment surrounding craft beer reemergence is analyzed. We examine the current state of the craft beer industry with a focus on competitive and logistical forces. We then highlight critical success factors of the craft beer industry and suggests how these factors can be applied to niche agriculture. Conclusions regarding the craft beer industry are drawn from both published documents and craft beer industry discussions. The primary craft beer industry “success†factors deemed transferable to niche agriculture include: 1) indentifying a consumer-driven niche opportunity; 2) engaging in marketing strategies leveraging consumer “hobby consumption†within the niche; 3) leveraging established industry logistics; and 4) participating in unified advocacy regarding both marketing and regulatory lobbies.Agribusiness, Marketing,

Being Present without Being Present: An Internet-Based Approach to Providing Pastoral Counseling to an Always Online Generation

The increasing reliance that Millennials and Gen-Z Christians have on the internet for almost every question that comes up in their lives should be viewed by pastoral counselors as a cultural context that need to be understood as part of the counseling process and not an obstacle to the counseling process. The emergence of the internet, and the part that it has played in the culture of American Christians who have grown up with constant access to this avenue of communication, has only recently begun to be seen and utilized by pastoral counselors. This research uses the perspective of a new church in a major metropolitan area made up entirely of Millennial and Gen-Z members to discuss three avenues for providing pastoral counseling via the internet: (i) Blogs, (ii) podcasts, and (iii) digital posters. Interviews were used to determine the attitudes the members had toward pastoral counseling, which then led to investigating these internet tools by the current use, popularity, and ability to effectively communicate from both secular and Christian sources. The positive results of this research indicate these platforms are valuable resources to be used in in communicating pastoral counseling content effectively to Millennial and Gen-Z Christians. Future research efforts in this field could provide additional clarity into best practices for internet-based pastoral counseling as well as the effectiveness of other internet-based Christian ministries

Milkmen of Ohio, Inc.: A Case Study

Exact date of working paper unknown

Mortgages & Mentoring: My Career with Judge Barry S. Schermer

This Article reflects on the lessons learned and taught by one of Judge Barry Schermer’s co-teachers. Woolverton focuses on teaching the fundamentals of Chapter 13 bankruptcy, including confirming a plan, secured claims, and interest charged, and, along with Judge Schermer, has students apply these complicated concepts to hypothetical situations. The Author recognizes Judge Schermer’s ability to break down these topics in a way that makes them more understandable to a new generation of students and practitioners

A qualitative study of adolescent perceived school and home connectedness and eating behaviors in relation to BMI

INTRODUCTION: Obesity is a major public health concern for youth in the United States. Eating behaviors, such as meal skipping and eating family dinner, are associated with obesity. School connectedness and family connectedness assess the degree to which an individual feels that he or she belongs in an environment, and strong feelings of school connectedness are associated with decreased BMI. This study qualitatively evaluates the relationships between feelings of home and school connectedness and specific eating behaviors associated with obesity in an adolescent population. METHODS: Participants were recruited from an adolescent clinic at Boston Children's Hospital. Inclusion criteria for recruitment included adolescents who were: Black/ African American or Hispanic and non-White, between 13 and 19 years of age, and living in the Boston neighborhoods of Dorchester, Roxbury, or Mattapan. Participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide, and participant data was analyzed by systematically identifying thematic language in the data by identifying similar phrases, patterns of descriptions, and notable disparities in participant content. RESULTS: 14 (10 females, 4 males; M=15.8 years of age) were enrolled and interviewed. Mean participant BMI was 27.3. 10 participants rarely/never skipped lunch, and 4 participants often/always skipped lunch. 6 participants ate dinner at home with their family always/ often, and 4 rarely/never ate dinner at home with their family. Most reported that their school's community, quality of education, and small environments were the most important aspects of their school. Of the 4 participants who attended school in the suburbs, 3 were connected or very connected to their school and disconnected from their neighborhoods. Every participant expressed feeling safe at school, but many cited lack of safety as their least favorite aspect of their neighborhood. Some reported that they felt safe, even though they knew that their neighborhoods were unsafe. CONCLUSION: Of the five students who felt 'very connected' to their schools, all but one always/often ate the food provided by their schools. These students discussed the ways in which their schools listened to student suggestions about school food. These feelings may suggest a stronger sense of feeling respected by one's school. Strong feelings of school connectedness in the majority of students who attend school in the suburbs warrant further exploration, as those who experience discordant home and school environments seemed more likely to embrace their school environment than their neighborhood environment. Furthermore, understanding how perceived neighborhood safety may contribute to feelings of home and neighborhood connectedness and possibly eating behaviors at or around home merits further examination