Samantha Powers

Teammates: Jordyn, Junior, Ted Renz

Part 1: Ethical Decision-Making

Step 1: Determine the facts in the situation – obtain all of the unbiased facts possible. Clearly state the ethical issue.

• 35% of children in this region have stunted growth due to poor nutrition
• The donor’s intent is to simultaneously improve the nutritional status of children and improve the livelihoods of rural households
• HIV/AIDS is prevalent in this region
  • Transmission is common through breastfeeding
• Approximately 500 women from three contiguous sub-locations have indicated their interest in joining the cooperative, in hopes of improving their livelihoods
• The 500 women are skeptical of the porridge and its use as an early weaning food
• The longer a HIV+ mother breastfeeds, the greater the chance to infect their child
• Pesticides are typically used in growing some of the crops and can negatively impact the health of infants
• Assumption: the women do not know if they have HIV/AIDS

Ethical issue:

Our role as entrepreneurs and trying to find a balance between the following scenarios:

• Use of pesticides in some crops locally grown can negatively impact the health of infants.
• If the shelf-stable porridge made from a large mix of locally grown produce is done, it can help mothers feed their kids nutritiously until they turn 6 months old, however it may cause health problems to the children. 
• If the mothers keep breastfeeding (with the risk of being HIV+) there is a chance that their kids will be infected by the virus.

 

Step 2 & 3: Define the Stakeholders and their motivations 

• Ourselves as the entrepreneurs

• • To provide the infants with nutrients without the risk of them contracting AIDS/HIV to improve the infant’s life and their family’s 
  • Aid to decrease stunted growth rate
  • Do the most out of the grant and make the cooperative be successful
  • Track records for the future / building their credibility

 

• The mothers
  • Want their children to be safe and healthy
    • Skeptical of porridge 
    • Believe that gruel is perfectly healthy for children
  • Want to improve livelihoods
  • Reduce risks of HIV/AIDS
  • The possibility of making some money. (by selling the surplus crops they grew)

 

• The children (primary stakeholders)
  • Want food = base motivation

 

• The donors (secondary stakeholders)
  • Want to improve the nutritional status of children and improve the livelihoods of rural households
  • Want to make a nutritious, shelf-stable porridge made from locally grown produce available for children at 6 months of age to wean them off of breast milk
• Pesticide providers 
  • Make a profit
  • Want pesticide use to continue
• Local Market from the 3 adjacent locations
  • They want the cooperative to be successful so that they have continuous flow of cash/products.
  • By boosting their operations, they will be able to either profit or reinvest in their businesses.

• Government in east Africa  (secondary stakeholder)
  • They want to stop the stunt of children
  • They want to improve the current situation of HIV/AIDS in their region

 

Step 4: Formulate (at least three) alternative solutions – based on information available, using basic ethical core values as guide 

 

Approach 1: 

• Potential solution →  Address healthcare for HIV/AIDS in the region directly through testing and education. Address the lack of nutrients in the gruel as well. 

 

• Ethical Principle or code 
  • Beneficence
  • Nonmaleficence

 

• Pros 
  • By knowing whether mothers are HIV+ or not, they would know if they would be needing to porridge or not. (i.e., potential clients/workers for the cooperative)  
  • Improved health in children because the mother would know the appropriate time to stop breastfeeding to minimize risk of transmitting the virus to the child

 

•  Cons 
  • Improving health care approaches (e.g., prevention, testing for HIV) may be costly.
  • The infants are still at risk from the pesticides. 
  • Donor may also be upset because this solution deviates from original goals
  • It may be difficult to get women to get tests or attend educational programs due to transportation challenges. 
  • “Do you realize how incredibly expensive this is?” – Khanjan 

 

Approach 2: 

 

• Potential solution → Use alternative methods for protecting the crops such as low toxicity pesticides, diversified planting, crop rotation, crop rotation, beneficial insects, trap plants, and/or barriers and traps 

 

• Ethical principle or code
  • Duty-Based Thinking

•  Pros 
  • Reduces health risks of food 
  • The mothers may be less skeptical when they are informed the porridge will be free of toxins.
  • Potential positive effects outside of venture

 

• Cons 
  • Increased labor for devising the alternative methods.
  • Time consuming: time is needed to educate the farmers and for the farmers to implement the new alternatives to pesticides.
  • It may be difficult to persuade the farmers since they are accustomed to using pesticides and may fear crop failure.
  • Donor may be upset about the additional time needed to change the farming structure. 

 

Approach 3: 

• Potential solution → Identify which nutrients are lacking in the current gruel mothers are using to feed their children. The cooperative could focus on producing the crops that would effectively improve the nutritious value of the gruel. (Thus, achieving the donor’s original goals)

 

• Ethical Principle or code 
  • Care-based thinking in the sense we would be focusing on improving locals’ habits of nutrition instead of focusing on the development of our own product / maximizing profits.

 

•  Pros 
  • Requires little adjustment from mothers — They trust the gruel
  • No longer needs to accompany breastfeeding due to more nutrients
  • Satisfies goals of the donor

 

• Cons 
  • Does not generate any profit for cooperative
  • It may be time consuming to investigate which nutrients are lacking and how to implement the supplementation. 
  • May still require use of local crops — risk of pesticides

 

Step 5: Seek additional assistance, as appropriate – engineering codes of ethics, previous cases, peers, reliance on personal experience, inner reflection 

• Investigation of the different types of alternatives to pesticides to create our second solution
• Reaching out to family members for the production of traps/barriers for approach 2.

 

Step 6: Select the best course of action – that which satisfies the highest core ethical values. Explain reasoning and justify. Discuss your stance vis-a-vis other approaches discussed in the class. 

• The best course of action involves both solutions 2 and 3. This would entail identifying which nutrients are lacking in the current gruel mothers are using to feed their children. Then, the cooperative could focus on producing the crops that would effectively improve the nutritious value of the gruel, overall achieving the donors original goals. Solution 2 is incorporated in this best course of action because the cooperative would focus on using crops that use safe alternatives to pesticides rather than the current pesticides used that cause negative health effects in infants. This combined solution reduces the health risk associated with using pesticides and would be the solution most likely to be accepted by the mothers as it is only an adjustment from the original gruel; it is not an entirely new product. It also no longer needs to accompany breastfeeding due to the new gruel supplying the appropriate nutrients for children after 6 months of age. The combined solution is a better choice than solution 3 alone because solution 3 fails to address the issue regarding negative health effects from the pesticides. Similarly, the combined solution is a better choice than solution 2 by itself because solution 2 would require an entirely new adoption of practices to eliminate pesticide use. While it is true that the combined solution would require the adoption of some new practices, the transition would be to a lesser extent since it would only have to be applied to the few crops specified as additions to the gruel product. Though this solution does require additional time and money, the outcomes would best achieve the donors original goals. Additionally, this solution would require less time and funds than solution 1, which would require a change to a large part of the healthcare system for HIV prevention and testing while still failing to address the negative health effects from pesticide use.

 

Step 7: (If applicable) What are the implications of your solution on the venture. Explain the impact of your proposed solution on the venture’s technology, economic, social and environmental aspects. 

Technologically, my proposed solution can transform farming in the long-term if farmers realize that the alternatives are better options economically to apply to crops other than the ones used as additional nutrients for the gruel. Another area of economic impact is in the cost of the product. Since the gruel now has more nutrients and added value, it will likely be more expensive for mothers to buy for their children in comparison to the original gruel. However, this economic cost is outweighed by the social benefit of my proposed solution. Pursuing the combined solution will both reduce the risk of negative health effects from pesticides and improve the health of the children since they will only intake breast milk until they are 6 months of age, after which they will transition to the new gruel product. 

Part 2: Grassroots Diplomacy

Step 1: Determine the facts in the situation

• Six months after the launch, the efforts of the women are paying off and business is thriving
• Women work for 9 hours every day and earn ~ three dollars
• Besides their salary they can sell the produce grown on their small farms to the cooperative (rates are standard – helps them make money on the side)
• The women like this work model because it saves them a trip (time + money) to the village market to sell their products 
• The women enjoy working together and they are happy. 
• When a woman brings her hard- earned money home, she has no choice but to turn it over to her husband, father, or brothers. Rather than using the money to support their families, the men waste it on alcohol and frivolous things.
• Though you are loved and respected by the entire community, you do not have a direct say in the cooperative’s functioning.
• You are one of the seven members of the leadership committee that oversees all operations. The committee is elected on an annual basis and you have six months left on the committee, after which you will practically leave the cooperative completely. 
• The other women on the committee are convinced that nothing can be done about it because that’s just the way it works in their community.

 

Step 2 & 3: Define the problem and the motivations of the stakeholders

• Problem: The employed women are not able to use their hard-earned money to buy household necessities or porridge to feed their children because the money goes to their husband, father, or brothers. 

 

• Researcher/entrepreneurs

• • Personal:
    • To improve the livelihoods of the infant and the families. 
  • Professional:
    • Provide the infants with nutrients to allow breastfeeding to stop at 6 months to reduce the risk of them contracting HIV
    • Prevent the continuation of the stunted growth rate
    • Make decisions that will make the cooperative be most successful
    • Improve record of success for the future by building credibility
    • Enable the women to make profit off of the venture

• The Mothers
  • Personal: 
    • Improve the safety and health of the child
      • Prevent risk of contracting HIV
    • Improve their livelihoods
  • Professional: 
    • Make a profit from selling the surplus crops they will grow
• The infants
  • Personal:
    • Sustenance
• The donor
  • Personal: 
    • Improve the nutritional status of children and improve the livelihoods of rural households
  • Professional:
    • Make a nutritious, shelf-stable porridge made from locally grown produce available for children at 6 months of age to wean them off of breast milk
• Local Market from the 3 adjacent locations
  • Professional: 
    • Be a successful cooperative so that they have continuous flow of cash/products
    • By boosting their operations, they will be able to either profit or reinvest in their businesses

• Government in East Africa 
  • Professional:
    • Preventing the stunt of child growth
    •  Improving the current situation of HIV/AIDS in their region 
• The Men
  • Personal:
    • To achieve personal happiness
    • To be a leader for the family
  • Professional:
    • Make money 
• 6 other members of the leadership group
  • Personal
    • Desire for the venture to work so that the lives of infants, mothers, and families are improved
    • Maintaining peace within the community
  • Professional
    • Furthering the success of the cooperative

Step 4,5,6: Formulate one optimal solution

Solution: Create a store where the women can, at any time, spend money in the store, but they can only take ⅓ of their money at a time to incentivize them to save money. The other ⅔ would get reinvested in the company, meaning that $2 would equal 2 shares. If they reach $100, the women can withdraw the money to buy something that is approved by the committee. Also, each woman would walk away with a small bag of porridge each day. This solution would involve bringing key leaders together from the community to speak about the issues openly and have them validate the concept. These leaders would include 25-30 men, religious people, or whoever has influence in the community to talk about the problem together.

• How does it solve the problem?
  • Pros:
    • Women are able to save money for future needs.
    • Women are able to purchase porridge for themselves or infants.
    • The health of the infants will improve since they will be fed the porridge. 
    • Prevents entire earnings from being spent on frivolous things by the men.
    • Men still receive a dollar a day which may satisfy his needs.
    • The goals of the venture are fulfilled.
    • The solution ensures understanding and respect from all stakeholders.
  • Cons: 
    • There may be different, split opinions from the community meeting on how to proceed with the issue.
    • The committee will change overtime, so this solution may also change as a result.

 

• How does it save face of those involved?
  • Women: Will not have to confront their husband, father, brothers about the frivolous spending of money.
  • Entrepreneurs: The venture can succeed since help will be provided by other members of the community.
  • Infants: Improvement of health
  • Donor: The venture is a success, so they do not have to worry about the issue of the men spending the money.
  • The Men: Involved in the decision making process, which makes their needs feel validated.
  • 6 other members of the leadership group: A solution is implemented that the community agrees on, so they do not have to fight cultural norms.
  • Government in East Africa and Local Market from the 3 adjacent locations: The venture moves forward, so motivations are satisfied.
• Implications on relationships
  •  Short-term
    • Positive
      • The women are happy now that their money is being put to its appropriate purpose.
      • The committee is happy since the outcome benefits most involved.
      • The entrepreneurs feel satisfied that the mission of the venture is achieved.
    • Negative
      • Men may feel upset that they are not receiving the full amount of money.
  • Long-term
    • Positive
      • Community is happy since cultural norms are sustained.
      • The families feel content that household necessities are fulfilled.
      • The donor is very happy with the work of the entrepreneurs.
    • Negative
      • There may be strained relationships if there is continued disagreement within the community.
• Implications on the venture
  • Short-term
    • Positive
      • Women are able to use money for their needs, which satisfies the goal of venture.
      • Improved health of infants also fulfills the goal of the venture.
  •  Long-term
    • • Positive
        • Increased credibility of the donor and entrepreneurs, showing success and therefore opportunities for more potential ventures. 
        • The government is happy that there are positive relations between donors and entrepreneurs. 
        • The venture has an opportunity to grow and expand to other countries. 
      • Negative
        • When the entrepreneur leaves the committee, negative change can occur in venture regulations. 

Step 7: List the sequence of actions you will take to implement your solution.

 

1. Establish a meeting with important community members.
2. Propose the solution during the meeting and discuss the pros and cons while gaining validity from the people. 
3. Come to a general consensus with the community members.
4. Inform employees of a new payment plan.
5. Set up a new form of payment with members of the venture.
6. Women begin to fulfill familial needs.
7. Infantile health improves in the community. 
8. The men feel involved and satisfied with the current situation.
9. The committee leaders feel confident with the decision making process and are thrilled with the outcome.
10. The government is pleased to see positive changes in the health of infants.
11. Local markets profit from job growth. 
12. Entrepreneurs finally have fulfilled goals of the venture, leaving them satisfied.