Business Commons^™

Sustainable Pathways For Successful Small Businesses In Chelsea, Massachusetts, Fabián Torres-Ardila, Lorna Rivera, Carolina Rojas-Pion, Daniela Bravo, Henry Chavez

Gastón Institute Publications

This report focuses on the critical role that small business owners and entrepreneurs play in the socioeconomic development of a predominantly Latino community like Chelsea, Massachusetts.

This report compiles the key findings and recommendations that resulted from conducting a qualitative study with small business owners and other individuals who play important roles in advocating for and supporting this community. Assuming an asset-based approach rather than a deficit-based one (Green & Haines, 2011), our study focuses on the skills and knowledge of small business owners and identifies a myriad of possibilities for City administrators to build upon existing practices and behaviors …

Rest Homes: Their Value On Massachusetts Healthcare Continuum, Ronald Pawelski

School of Professional Studies

In Massachusetts, rest homes provide cost effective care for elderly residents in a community setting. Rest homes, however, are not well-understood and the rest home industry itself suffers greatly, not only from a lack of understanding of the services they provide, but also from the strain on their financial resources due to both competition from other healthcare options and insufficient reimbursement rates for residents’ care.

The paper explores the financial challenges facing the industry and outlines the data that speaks to the value of the rest home care option for both the residents themselves and Massachusetts state healthcare budget. It …

Latinos In The Labor Force, Phillip Granberry

Gastón Institute Publications

In 2018 a financial news and commentary website, 24/7 Wall St., ranked Massachusetts as the state with the largest economic and social disparities between Latinos and non-Latino whites. For example, median household income was shown to be slightly above $80,000 for whites and just under $40,000 for Latinos. Even more starkly, the rates of homeownership were shown as 69.3% and 26.0%, respectively.

The present report offers an in-depth look at one aspect of the disparity, namely, the difference between the median wage income of Latinos and non-Latinos (a great majority of whom in Massachusetts are non-Latino white). In 2017 …

Addressing The Opioid Epidemic: North Andover Police Department, James Buckley

Honors Senior Capstone Projects

The opioid epidemic is not just a problem that affects major cities, as there is a growing market for heroin in suburban communities. North Andover saw a spike from only seven overdoses in 2015, to twenty-three possible overdoses in just the first nine and a half months of 2016, depicting evidence of how grave the problem really has become in the community. The epidemic is not an issue that can be delayed and gradually deliberated, as immediate action is required to treat individuals affected and heal the community as a whole. The heroin problem has reached North Andover and the …

Creative Economies: Using Arts To Revitalize Post-Industrial Cities And Towns In Massachusetts, Anna Price

Honors College Theses

During my senior year in the Honors College at UMass Boston, I became involved in the yearlong Creative and Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship program. During this program, I interned alongside other UMass Boston students at a local creative non-profit organization, providing the staff with assistance as they worked towards achieving their goals. This internship was funded by the Creative Economy Fund (CE Fund) from the University of Massachusetts President’s Office. My involvement in this program sparked an interest in pursuing an Honors thesis investigating the CE Fund and how the awarded projects are benefitted by that fund.

After looking through all …

Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network: Boston Regional Office And Minority Business Center, Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network, Boston Regional Office & Minority Business Center

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Hosted by the College of Management, we are part of a statewide business assistance program providing FREE one-on-one counsel to entrepreneurs, seeking help with business growth, financing, loan assistance, strategic marketing and operational analysis. Our services are available to the public and members of the University of Massachusetts Boston community, including students, faculty, and staff. We also offer workshops on a variety of topics targeted to the needs of small business.

Reinforcing The Safety Net: A Collaborative Survey With The Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, Heather Macindoe, Lindsay Morgia, Erynn Herman

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The more than 35,000 nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts employ 20% of the state’s workforce and serve as a vital part of the social safety net. Many of these organizations face challenges concerning fiscal sustainability. Funding often covers current services with little surplus to address organizational capacity issues. Successful public-nonprofit partnerships are key to building a resilient nonprofit sector. This study contributes to the nonprofit sector’s knowledge of how best to engage with policymakers at the state and local level.

Commonwealth Compact Talent Network: A Resource For And About Talented Professionals Of Color In Massachusetts, Georgianna Melendez

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Commonwealth Compact seeks to increase the visibility of and access to professionals of color in Massachusetts. We seek to establish Massachusetts as a uniquely inclusive, honest, and supportive community of – and for – diverse people. We have created an online tool to establish this visible network. Our target audience for this tool includes employers and talent.

Upham’S Corner Main Street: Developing Ideas For Promoting Arts And Businesses In Upham’S Corner, Werner Kunz, Barbara Lewis, Upham's Corner Main Street

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Dorchester’s Upham’s Corner neighborhood is home to a diverse mix of neighborhood residents, many historical landmarks, and a commercial district. At one point, Upham’s Corner was one of the top five market hubs for New England. It was because of this market history that the Strand Theater was built as a community home, as a community connection, and as a network. UMass Boston’s College of Management undergraduate students have developed ideas for promoting the arts and bringing businesses to the Upham’s Corner neighborhood. Assistant Professor of Marketing, Werner Kunz, coordinated the project with students in his “Services Marketing” class to …

Climate Change Adaptation Chapter: Marshfield, Massachusetts, Joshua H. Chase, Jonathan G. Cooper, Rory Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Filipe Antunes Lima, Sally R. Miller, Toni Marie Pignatelli

Sally Miller

Climate change, understood as a statistically significant variation in the mean state of the climate or its variability, is the greatest environmental challenge of this generation (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2001). Marshfield is already being affected by changes in the climate that will have a profound effect on the town’s economy, public health, coastal resources, natural features, water systems, and public and private infrastructure. Adaptation strategies have been widely recognized as playing an important role in improving a community’s ability to respond to climate stressors by resisting damage and recovering quickly. Based on review of climate projections for the …

Commonwealth Compact Talent Network: A Resource For And About Talented Professionals Of Color In Massachusetts, Robert Turner, Georgianna Meléndez

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Commonwealth Compact seeks to establish Massachusetts as a uniquely inclusive, honest, and supportive community of—and for—diverse people. To acknowledge our mixed history in this effort, and to face squarely the challenges that still need to be overcome, understanding that the rich promise of the region’s growing diversity must be tapped fully, if Massachusetts is to achieve its economic, civic, and social potential.

Commonwealth Compact: Merrimac Valley Collaborative, Robert Turner, Georgianna Meléndez

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Commonwealth Compact seeks to establish Massachusetts as a uniquely inclusive, honest, and supportive community of—and for—diverse people. The objectives of this program include acknowledging our mixed history in this effort, face squarely the challenges that still need to be overcome and understand that the rich promise of the region's growing diversity must be tapped fully if Massachusetts is to achieve its economic, civic, and social potential.

Commonwealth Compact: Massachusetts Business School Collaborative, Robert Turner, Georgianna Meléndez

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Commonwealth Compact seeks to establish Massachusetts as a uniquely inclusive, honest, and supportive community of—and for—diverse people. The objectives of this program include acknowledging our mixed history in this effort, face squarely the challenges that still need to be overcome and understand that the rich promise of the region's growing diversity must be tapped fully if Massachusetts is to achieve its economic, civic, and social potential.

Changing Patterns Xvi: Mortgage Lending To Traditionally Underseved Borrowers & Neighborhoods In Boston, Greater Boston And Massachusetts, 2008, Jim Campen

Gastón Institute Publications

This is the sixteenth in the annual series of Changing Patterns reports prepared for the Massachusetts Community & Banking Council (MCBC) by the present author. The series is aptly named: mortgage lending since 1990 has indeed been characterized by “changing patterns.” In recent years, the major focus of the series shifted from concern for fair access to credit for traditionally underserved borrowers and neighborhoods to concern for access to fair credit for these same borrowers and neighborhoods. This reflects the extent to which the problem of redlining had become overshadowed by the problem of reverse redlining, whereby areas that …

Changing Patterns Xiv: Mortgage Lending To Traditionally Underseved Borrowers & Neighborhoods In Boston, Greater Boston And Massachusetts, 2006, Jim Campen

Gastón Institute Publications

This is the fourteenth in the annual series of Changing Patterns reports prepared for the Massachusetts Community & Banking Council (MCBC) by the present author. This year’s report, for the first time, includes the analysis of subprime lending that was previously presented in a separate annual series of Borrowing Trouble reports. The report presents information for the city of Boston, for Greater Boston, and for Massachusetts, as well as for each of the state’s fourteen counties and each of its thirty-three largest cities and towns.

The analysis is based on federal Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data for 2006, as …

We've Got The Power: Rise Of Women Entrepreneurs, Phyllis Swersky, Aileen Gorman, Jessica Reardon

New England Journal of Public Policy

The authors address women’s recent entrepreneurial successes in local, national, and international settings, offering, as a case study, one nonprofit organization whose mission is to support women entrepreneurs and help them grow: The Commonwealth Institute. In examining The Commonwealth Institute, the authors provide insight into the challenges facing some of the women entrepreneurs they work with in Massachusetts. They also offer some strategies to make sure women continue to make a significant contribution to New England’s economy.

Changing Patterns Xiii: Mortgage Lending To Traditionally Underserved Borrowers And Neighborhoods In Greater Boston, 1990-2005, Jim Campen

Gastón Institute Publications

The present study is the latest in a series of annual updates of the original report, Changing Patterns: Mortgage Lending in Boston, 1990-1993. Beginning in 1998, the reports’ geographic scope was expanded to include an examination of mortgage lending patterns in 27 cities and towns surrounding the city of Boston. In 2003, the report’s geographic coverage was further expanded to include a total of 108 communities. This year’s report extends coverage to all counties, regional planning areas, and federally-defined metropolitan areas in Massachusetts.

The text that follows this introduction highlights some of the most significant findings that emerge from …

An Assessment Of Family And Medical Leave Policy, Stefanie Wilde

Honors Theses

The US Family and Medical Leave Act (Public Law 103-3, or 29 CFR 825) and similar policies throughout the world, such as maternity leave policies (PL507 Rev 4) in the UK, or Maternity and Parental leave in Canada, are policies that require employers to provide an employee with a period of leave for the birth or adoption of a child, family and dependent health needs, or personal illness. Under these acts, typically the employer must allow the employee to return to the same position or a position similar to that held before taking the leave. In the United States, an …

Changing Patterns Xii: Mortgage Lending To Traditionally Underserved Borrowers And Neighborhoods In Greater Boston, 1990-2004, Jim Campen

Gastón Institute Publications

The present study is the latest in a series of annual updates of the original report, Changing Patterns: Mortgage Lending in Boston, 1990-1993. Beginning in 1998, the reports’ geographic scope was expanded to include an examination of mortgage lending patterns in 27 cities and towns surrounding the city of Boston. In 2003, the report’s geographic coverage was further expanded to include a total of 108 communities.

The text that follows this introduction highlights some of the most significant findings that emerge from the extensive set of tables and charts that constitute the bulk of the report. Part I, together …

Changing Patterns Xi: Mortgage Lending To Traditionally Underserved Borrowers & Neighborhoods In Greater Boston, 1990-2003, Jim Campen

Gastón Institute Publications

The present study is the latest in a series of annual updates of the original report, Changing Patterns: Mortgage Lending in Boston, 1990-1993. Beginning in 1998, the reports’ geographic scope was expanded t o include an examination of mortgage lending patterns in 27 cities and towns surrounding the city of Boston. In last year’s report, the geographic coverage was further expanded to include a total of 108 communities.

The text that follows this introduction highlights some of the most significant findings that emerge from the extensive set of tables and charts that constitute the bulk of the report. The …

Changing Patterns Xi: Mortgage Lending To Traditionally Underserved Borrowers And Neighborhoods In Greater Boston, 1990-2003, Jim Campen

Gastón Institute Publications

The present study is the latest in a series of annual updates of the original report, Changing Patterns: Mortgage Lending in Boston, 1990-1993. Beginning in 1998, the reports’ geographic scope was expanded t o include an examination of mortgage lending patterns in 27 cities and towns surrounding the city of Boston. In last year’s report, the geographic coverage was further expanded to include a total of 108 communities.

The text that follows this introduction highlights some of the most significant findings that emerge from the extensive set of tables and charts that constitute the bulk of the report. The …

Borrowing Trouble? Iv: Subprime Mortgage Refinance Lending In Greater Boston, 2000-2002, Jim Campen

Gastón Institute Publications

The present report is the fourth in the annual series begun by that initial study; it extends the time period covered through 2002, and expands the number of individual cities and towns for which data on subprime refinance lending are provided to 108.

Although motivated by a concern with predatory lending, this study and its predecessors – like all of the other quantitative studies of which I am aware – analyzes and reports on lending by subprime lenders. It is therefore important to emphasize that although all predatory loans are subprime, only a fraction of subprime loans are predatory. While …

Changing Patterns X: Mortgage Lending To Traditionally Underserved Borrowers And Neighborhoods In Greater Boston, 1990-2002, Jim Campen

Gastón Institute Publications

The present study is the latest in a series of annual updates of the original report, Changing Patterns: Mortgage Lending in Boston, 1990-1993. Beginning in 1998, the reports’ geographic scope was expanded to include an examination of mortgage lending patterns in 27 cities and towns surrounding the city of Boston. In this year’s report, the geographic coverage has been further expanded t o include a total of 108 communities.

This introduction is followed by ten pages of text that identify some of the most significant findings that emerge from the extensive set of tables and charts that constitute the …

Business Ownership Patterns Among Black, Latina, And Asian Women In Massachusetts, Russell E. Williams

Trotter Review

Using data from the most recently released Survey of Minority Businesses, this article explores the significance of businesses owned by minority women in Massachusetts. I describe the number of such businesses, the rates at which the number of such businesses are expanding, and the average sales and receipts of women-owned businesses — and I compare these statistics for White, Black, Latino and Asian businesses.