Knowledge Production and Transmission in an Agricultural Industry Cluster: The Poultry Business in South Central Pennsylvania
Open Access
- Author:
- Sheely, Scott James
- Graduate Program:
- Adult Education
- Degree:
- Doctor of Education
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- April 29, 2016
- Committee Members:
- Fred Michael Schied, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
- Keywords:
- community of practice
tacit learning
informal education
vertical integration
broiler production
industry cluster - Abstract:
- In this study based in the poultry industry in south central Pennsylvania, I used a qualitative methodology and an ethnographic model to investigate three research questions… • Among the people who are involved in the poultry industry in south central Pennsylvania, what is the impact of vertical integration on the knowledge production of producers? • What is the nature of the community of practice that exists for the producer within the poultry industry? • In general, how do practitioners construct and apply knowledge that is produced inside and outside the community of practice? Using a general interview guide, I conducted seven in-depth interviews, which I recorded and transcribed. I used NVivo to identify nodes and, eventually, themes that reflected the development of a practitioner: The Contract Broiler Business, Learning the Business, Being Successful in the Business, Managing Change and Learning from It, and Planning for the Future of the Business. Even with a business practice (contracting) that strictly defines many roles and responsibilities, the practitioners who make up the community of practice in this industry use knowledge that is codified as a base for the additional development of tacit knowledge through personal experience and innovation and for the integration of other knowledge derived from their participation in various social networks. Excerpts from interviews show some degree of acceptance, if not comfort with the process. They also show a wide-ranging community of practice with many participants as well as the use of these and other resources as the practitioners confront profitability, change, and sustainability of their farming operation. These finding have direct connections back to theories of industry clusters, competitiveness, codified and tacit knowledge, formal and informal learning, social capital, social networks, and communities of practice.