Teammates: Alyssa Blasko, Weilin Pan, Skyler Martinez,Tommy Persaud

 

Part 1

Step 1: Facts of the Situation

(Facts + Clearly point out the ethical issue)

• A research team received a grant to establish a women’s cooperative in this region.
• In certain area of East Africa, growth of ~35% of children is stunted due to poor nutrition
• HIV/AIDS is very prevalent in this region
• The gruel used to wean children off breastfeeding is not nutritionally beneficial to infant (banana and maize)
• Cash crops are grown in the three regions that expressed interest in participating
• Pesticides are currently used in cash crops and can be very harmful for infants and children
• 500 women are interested in joining the cooperative 
• Current crops grown in the area: maize, sorghum, cassava, several varieties of legumes (dried beans), French beans, coffee, pineapple, bananas, pumpkins, tomatoes, carrots, kale, white (Irish) potatoes, and sweet potatoes.

 

The ethical problem: 

• Prolonged breastfeeding with a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS
• Content of gruel can link to pesticide use of cash crops, further risking health of children 
• The mothers are skeptical because they have fed the children with gruel before, they are not familiar with the new recipe
• Current gruel being used is not nutritious enough, according to scientific research

 

Step 2 + 3: Stakeholder Motivations

• African children
  • Personal:
    • Have safer food with a better taste
    • Lower risk of exposure to HIV/AIDS, grow without pain and illness
• African mothers
  • Personal:
    • Give their child nutritious food 
    • Ensure the food their child is eating is safe for consumption
    • Excitement to learn and socialize – but their vulnerability may result in wanting you to hear what you want to hear – they do not want to come off as ignorant – they may reinforce your ideas because they think you’re smart and want to agree. On the other hand, some may be weary to trust an outsider so make sure you talk to the right people 
• Farmers
  • Personal: 
    • Make money
  • Professional: 
    • Produce safer foods 
    • Grow business as their crops become essential in porridge (sell more crops)
    • Find an alternative 
• The research team
  • Personal: 
    • Make money, reduce the HIV/AIDS rate, further their career
    • Earn more money to continue doing research and get continuous funding
  • Professional: 
    • Recognition in the research community if collective is successful
    • Building up their own credibility in their research community 
• Local hospital
  • Professional: 
    • Bettering of health of patients and locals
    • Provide safe sex instruments to reduce transmission of HIV/AIDS
    • Make sure hospital isn’t always at capacity – prevent future cases
    • Can devote their resources to something else 
• Doctors & Nurses
  • Personal:
    • Help ensure mother/infants are healthy 
  • Professional:
    • Help reduce transmission of HIV/AIDS by educating locals 
• University/lab/government (Funding agency)
  • Professional: 
    • Treat spread of disease
    • Reputation of gaining academic knowledge
    • Funding agency will have their name attached to the possible solution
    • More advertising – want to be a world leader in the field – want to build up their brand
    • More partners

• African government – Secondary stakeholders
  • Professional:
    • Decrease the countries’ HIV rate
    • Decrease the infant mortality
    • Create a safer living environment for the citizens
    • Make profit

 

Step 4: Three Alternative Solutions

(Solution, Ethical Principle, Pros, Cons for each)

• Potential Solution 1: Educate people on the recipe
  • How does it solve the problem? 
    • Pros: Local people can trust the recipe has enough nutritional value
    • Cons: There might be conflicts due to different viewpoints. People might be more skeptical.
  • How does it save face of those involved? 
    • Pros: 
      • Can market itself as a more ethical and safe option for families
    • Cons: 
      • Concerns with accessibility and efficiency 
  • Implications on relationships 
    • Short-term: 
      • Strain on relationships with local farmers
    • Long-term: 
      • More solidified trust and assurance among mothers and families as a healthier option

 

• Potential Solution 2: Pesticide removal treatment 
  • How does it solve the problem? 
    • Pros:
      • Cleans the foods
      • Increases trust with the community which will lead to more women in the cooperative using the porridge 
      • Improves growth and nutrition of the children 
    • Cons: 
      • May not take all the pesticides off
      • May be costly 
      • May not increase trust with the community 
  • How does it save face of those involved? 
    • Many families do not want to use the food with the pesticide and that the porridge is unknown. This option is a better nutritional option compared to the current situation and allows them to keep with cleaner foods 
  • Implications on relationships 
    • Short-term:  
      • May increase trust with trying the new porridge 
    • Long-term: 
      • Could increase reputation in the community as the collective aims to use cleaner ingredients

 

• Potential Solution 3: Using safer pesticides
  • How does it solve the problem? 
    • Cash crops can still be grown at the same rate. Adverse health implications might be minimal. 
    • Pros: 
      • Cash crops can still be used
      • Infants can have nutritious food 
      • Mothers have lower risk of HIV/AIDS transmission
    • Cons: 
      • Still using pesticides 
      • Economic barriers with affording better pesticides 
      • May still keep mothers from wanting to use the porridge 
      • Farmers might not want to adopt the use of new pesticide  
      • Farmers cannot afford new pesticides
      • Might not be any safer pesticides for infant consumption
  • How does it save face of those involved? 
    • Keeps the pesticides in the project which eliminates insect issues and continues the growth of crops at a cheaper price while lowering the risk of pesticide exposure. 
  • Implications on relationships 
    • Short-term:
      • • Trust issues with using new porridge
        • Farmers might be offended because they are producing harmful goods 
      • Long-term: 
        • Hopefully an increased use of the porridge
        • Adoption of safer pesticides 

 

Step 5: Additional Assistance

 

– government and nonprofit organization funding for safe sex instruments within hospitals 

– donors previously mentioned assisting in funding/searching for safer pesticides (or pesticide alternatives)

-neighboring countries’ similar experience and their solutions

-NGOs

 

Step 6: Best Course of Action

 

A combination of pesticide removal and safer pesticide

Pros: 

-Cost less than only focusing on developing pesticide removal techniques

-Safer food for babies

-Enough nutrition achieved

-Boost credential for the research team

-Farmers can make profits

-The researchers can get more money and further their study

Cons:

-Possible issues with grant funding if funders want a pesticide free crop yield

-Possible conflicts when there are trust issues (local people might be skeptical)

-Still high HIV/AIDS rate if there is no enough testing

 

Step 7: Implications of Solution

Technology

-possible catalyst for change in agricultural technology, farmers may become more conscious of pesticide use and its harmful effects

 

Social

-searching for safer pesticides or alternatives will strengthen venture’s relationship with mothers and families

-Larger crop yield by using the safer pesticides which adds a higher reputation to the grant and results of the venture

 

Economical

-there is the possibility of more money and energy going into the creation of the product for the market than the return on investment. Could be a financial burden to purchase all materials as a start up cost, Could improve results which may lead to more grant funding

 

Environmental

– process in locally producing (or even just ridding of) porridge could leave chemical residue and waste that could harm the surrounding environment

 

Part 2

Step 1: Facts of the Situation

• The business with local women is thriving
• The women work for about nine hours every day and earn KES 300 (about $3)
• They have the opportunity to sell the produce grown on their small farms to the cooperative
• The women enjoy working with each other and are happy with the cooperative; they have a strong sense of community and identity
• Women cannot use the money earned for their families (money goes to the men)

 

Step 2 + 3: Stakeholder Motivations

(Copy-paste from earlier and differentiate between personal and professional. Don’t forget additional stakeholders such as the men and the six other members of the leadership group. Also think of ways in which men can be engaged for tasks (like driving, heavy labor) that are almost always done by men.)

• African children
  • Personal:
    • Have safer food with a better taste
    • Lower risk of exposure to HIV/AIDS, grow without pain and illness
• African mothers
  • Personal:
    • Give their child nutritious food 
    • Ensure the food their child is eating is safe for consumption
    • Excitement to learn and socialize – but their vulnerability may result in wanting you to hear what you want to hear – they do not want to come off as ignorant – they may reinforce your ideas because they think you’re smart and want to agree. On the other hand, some may be weary to trust an outsider so make sure you talk to the right people 
• Farmers
  • Personal: 
    • Make money
  • Professional: 
    • Produce safer foods 
    • Grow business as their crops become essential in porridge (sell more crops)
    • Find an alternative 
• The research team
  • Personal: 
    • Make money, reduce the HIV/AIDS rate, further their career
    • Earn more money to continue doing research and get continuous funding
  • Professional: 
    • Recognition in the research community if collective is successful
    • Building up their own credibility in their research community 
• Local hospital
  • Professional: 
    • Bettering of health of patients and locals
    • Provide safe sex instruments to reduce transmission of HIV/AIDS
    • Make sure hospital isn’t always at capacity – prevent future cases
    • Can devote their resources to something else 
• Doctors & Nurses
  • Personal:
    • Help ensure mother/infants are healthy 
  • Professional:
    • Help reduce transmission of HIV/AIDS by educating locals 
• University/lab/government (Funding agency)
  • Professional: 
    • Treat spread of disease
    • Reputation of gaining academic knowledge
    • Funding agency will have their name attached to the possible solution
    • More advertising – want to be a world leader in the field – want to build up their brand
    • More partners

• African government – Secondary stakeholders
  • Professional:
    • Decrease the countries’ HIV rate
    • Decrease the infant mortality
    • Create a safer living environment for the citizens
    • Make profit
• Men
  • Personal
    • financial gain from the women for personal endeavors
  • Professional
    • they can desire to make their own money 
• Six members of the leadership team
  • Personal
    • they desire whatever would benefit the growth of the company
    • they empathize with the local women and want local women from the company to use their self-earned money
  • Professional
    • they seek to achieve the twin outcomes of the company

 

Step 4, 5, 6: ONE optimal solution

(How solution meets twin outcomes, Pros, Cons, how it saves face for all stakeholders, short-term and long-term implications on relationships and the venture. Also include additional assistance you sought to identify the one best solution)

• Optimal Solution: 20% of their earned payment is a cash payout and 80% is kept as earned credit in the cooperative for goods/services
  • How does it solve the problem? 
    • Pros 
      • Women can buy their own goods & services with their own money
      • Sense of achievement and motivation to work
    • Cons 
      • The cash could still be taken by men
      • Possible conflicts and domestic violence because men didn’t get enough money
  • How does it save face of those involved? 
    • Women have the rights and freedom to allocate their salary. They are less constrained by men in their family.
    • The research team and the cooperative solve the problem.
  • Implications on relationships 
    • Short-term: Trust issues because local people are not familiar with this method of saving a large amount of salary in the cooperative
    • Long-term: Domestic violence and conflicts between men and the cooperative
  • Implications on the venture 
    • Short-term: More cost and energy on educating the women about the new way of distributing salary
    • Long-term: The women will feel more satisfied with the work so more and more women will join the cooperative. The cooperative can thrive.

 

Step 7 Specific step-by-step process to implement the proposed solution.

-utilize the grassroots diplomacy from small to large scale aspects of operations

– get feedback from women who work for corporation 

– get feedback from male leaders on process and operations

– communication in each step with stakeholders, receiving feedback in each step

– hire workers for the equity bank