Developed by Dr. Robert P. King, Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota (rking@umn.edu)
This paper describes the use of a series of case studies on values-based food supply chains in a course on cooperatives taught at the University of Minnesota. Though not written for this purpose, these case studies are excellent tools for helping students learn about and analyze real-life situations where the choice of ownership form has important consequences.
This paper first provides a brief overview of the course Dr. King teaches on cooperatives and some background on the work of the Agriculture of the Middle group. It then describes how Dr. King used two case studies as the focus for short papers to be accompanied by class discussion and a third as the basis for an in-class midterm exam. The discussion of each case includes an overview of the case study, a set of questions for students to analyze, links to additional information and some key issues for discussion.
