Living an Impact-Focused Life

What’s your Why?

I believe I was put on this earth to…

make others happy and make myself happy. In order to do this, I have to find experiences or things that make me happy such as plants. It’s a journey not something that can be done easily. I believe that making other people happy is important since it makes me happy, and I enjoy seeing other people be happy. I try to do what I can to make people smile or at least be conscious of the affect of my words on others.

 

My purpose is to…

help people live their best life and I believe that is why I am so interested in entering the biomedical field or even participate in projects like these because I understand the potential impact.

 

 

I believe (my core values)…

that respect, diversity, and inclusion is vital to any environment whether it be a classroom or professional setting.

 

 

The one thing I must do before I die is…

adopt 10 cats and open a plant/café/cat shop.

 

 

My advocates and supporters all believe that I…

sometimes push myself too hard or set very high standards for myself which cause me to break down easily if I don’t achieve them.

 

The evil I want to eradicate in this world is…

evil people such as racists, homophobes, or anyone that really prays on the downfall of others for their own gain.

 

I want to work in order to…

earn a living for myself and be a part of an industry that is working towards improving the health of people.

 

Walk the Talk – Your How

If you are truly committed to your Why, you show it in your everyday behavior. It is all air until you do it. Working from your Why, How do you prove that you are true to your Why in all you do?

 

I always…

attempt to create a space where everyone feels safe and try to provide guidance/advice to those who are going through a similar situation as I did. I try to help out, so they don’t have to go through the long journey that many bumps but instead be on a journey that signs guiding them where to go but still with a few bumps on the road.

 

I never…

try to hurt people on purpose, it goes against my goal of making others be happy.

 

My work style is…

take it day by day instead of cramming it all in one day. It makes me feel less stressed and allows me to check off that I was productive.

 

I try to treat people…

with respect and how I would like to be treated.

 

I approach problems by…

first developing a strong understanding of the problem then figuring out what has already been done to then how can I combine all those ideas or build on one of them to solve the problem at hand.

 

Victories are time to…

celebrateeeeeeeeee.

 

If someone attacks my point of view I…

first try to understand where they are coming from to help me understand why they are feeling the need to attack me.

 

If I fundamentally do not agree with what an organization or person is doing, I will…

tell them to their face what they are doing is incorrect and how to correct it.

Your Credibility – Your Whats

You have spent some considerable time at Lehigh, and specifically in the Global / Lehigh Valley Social Impact Fellowship, on many whats. Your whats include lab research, formal presentations, writing research papers, engaging with people in other cultural contexts, building prototypes, designing and building systems, raising funds, hiring employees, etc. The whats you have collected along the way are critical to your credibility when you are entering the workforce or applying to the best graduate and professional schools. They signify a credible currency to which organizations can assign value. Create a list of your Whats that are truly reflective of your Why & How. You did these things because you believe (Why) and you acquired them in the following (How) manner. These are examples you can use in interviews.

 

What Have I Done	List of Experiences, Accomplishments, and Lessons Learned
Degrees, Minors, Certificates, Fellowships	Material Science and Engineering Campus Sustainable Impact Fellowship
Research Experiences	Increasing efficiency of QDDSC and solar PV
Inventions and Innovations	N/A
(Social) Entrepreneurial Ventures	N/A
Publications (Formal and Informal)	N/A
Formal Presentations (at Lehigh and Beyond)	Presentations at Dow, CSIF Presentation, MountainTop Presentation
Awards and External Recognition	Gilman Scholarship, NACME scholarship

 

Articulating and learning from G/LVSIF-related Experiences. For each of these prompts, we want you to identify one and only one specific and compelling event/incident/experience/moment and identify exactly how you grew personally and professionally through that moment.

 

Teamwork Experience (and Lessons Learned)	Our first couple meetings with Dr. Romero were not organized in the sense that we had many tasks that were not delegated to anyone but instead just up in the air. As a result, things didn’t get done on time or at the last minute. We learned that we all can’t be doing the same thing because it is not optimizing our time. Instead, we should break into smaller teams and reconvene at a specific time and date to then see where can head next and provide feedback.
Conflict Resolution Experience (and Lessons Learned)	We were having difficulty setting up a time for testing which led us to waste a week. We learned that we all don’t always have to be there and that is okay. Instead, we can have people report back to those who were unable to go.
Leadership Experience (and Lessons Learned)	Teaching others how to make PCM and then slowly removing myself so they can learn on their own and be able to do next time without me. This taught me how to explain things in a manner that is easy for others to understand and will be applicable in any situation where I want to pass knowledge forward.
Dealing with Chaos, Ambiguity, and Uncertainty (and Lessons Learned)	We dealt with some chaos when it came to how we want to present our work. We wanted to go with one story but had some team members that wanted to talk about the combatting climate aspect of it. We comprised and concluded that we can include both since it spoke about the macro and micro perspective of the problem we are tackling with our project.
Personally Challenging Experience (and Lessons Learned)	I did not understand many of the terms that our advisor was using and instead of being clueless I decided to do some research on my own to both further my understanding and know how I can be involved in the conversation.
Cross-cultural Experience (and Lessons Learned)	We all come from very different background especially engineering disciplines. It has helped us with the creative problem-solving process an how to navigate such differences.
An experience that helped you connect your G/LVSIF work to your discipline / major.	Exploring the different types of materials we would want to use for the PCM and box was when I felt most connected to my Material Science and Engineering major
A moment that boosted your sense of agency and self-efficacy – you felt like you can speak for yourself, get stuff done, take on the world and make it better.	When it came to how we want to delegate work for the last presentation I believe I played a significant role in delegating what to do and how we want to be presenting, restricting our presentation entirely.
A moment where you felt like you truly have a strong sense of purpose and belonging in this dynamic, globalized, interdependent world.	I think it’s when we realized that our prototype can actually increase the efficiency by 5% and then put that into numbers and visualizations. Being able to see the potential impact.

 

Draw Your Life

What’s Your True North?

 

Create the story of your life. How do you want to contribute to the world through your talents, passions, and unique strengths? Think about your values, the roles you play, what gives you a sense of purpose, and ultimately, what you have to offer by being your best, authentic self. Draw a picture of your life as you envision it. Be remarkable. Be yourself.

 

CINQ 387: Inquiry to Impact Workshops

Lessons Learned – blog entry 

Due Mon 11/21 (CSIF) or Tues 11/22 (G-LVSIF)

Instructions: In preparation for the final workshop on “Living an Impact-Focused Life,” consider the three main questions below as a reflection on your Impact Fellowship. Regard this reflection as a learning process to explore and express what you learned, as well as an opportunity to learn more about yourself. Focus on the three main questions. You may use the prompts to help you organize your thoughts, but these prompts are not aimed to limit your thinking. You are strongly encouraged to freely express your ideas and feelings.

 

1. What are the top three things you learned during your Impact Fellowship? Please elaborate.

Prompts: When elaborating on each thing you’ve learned, ask yourself four questions: 

What did I learn?

How did I learn it?

Why does it matter?

What will I do in light of it?

 

For example, if you modified your understanding of a course concept through the IF, here are the questions you may ask to elaborate on what you’ve learned:

 

What is the concept? What specific occurrence relates to the concept?

How did the experience help you to better understand the course concept?

How did the concept help you to deal with any challenges or issues?

What complexities do you see now that you had not been aware of before?

Based on your analysis, what might you do differently in future academic activities?

 

The top three things I learned during my Impact Fellowship were the importance of building relationships with potential stakeholders both in and outside of Lehigh as well as how to incorporate ethics into a business and the different types of organizations that exist. I learned these through the classes taught by Khanjan where he would use slides, videos, TED talks, real-life scenarios, and research papers. Learning about the importance of building relationships with stakeholders was essential because I never realized how important it is for scaling a project. Without the stakeholders, there is no one to support the project with either funds or connections to make it bigger. Ethics was also extremely important to learn because it further reinforced that the best idea might not be the most ethical and that is important to consider the consequences and benefits. Also, learning about the different types of organizations that exist is important in order to understand what type of stakeholders we wanted to interact with for our project. In light of this knowledge, I will incorporate it once I decide to work on my own project of building my plant business/store. I believe that these three takeaways will help me in making choices and connections that will help me grow my dream. 

 

2. How did the Impact Fellowship facilitate your professional development? Please provide three examples.

Prompts: When elaborating on each experience that may facilitate your professional development, ask yourself four questions: 

What did I learn or what did I learn about myself related to professional development?

How did I learn it?

Why does it matter?

How will I make use of this experience?

 

For example, if you realized that you learned some skills (which can be general skills such as critical thinking, systems thinking, cross-cultural communication, ethical decision making, leadership, or discipline-specific skills) that relates to your professional development, you may ask these questions as a reflection:

 

What is the skill? How does it relate to your professional development?

How did the experience help you to strengthen the skill? What did you do to build this skill? How did the skill help you to deal with some challenges?

What do you see now that relates to your career plan that you had not been aware of before?

Based on your analysis, what might you do differently regarding your professional development in the future?

 

The Impact Fellowship facilitated my professional development by helping me develop/improve some skills such as how to work on a cross-functional team, read research papers, and build relationships with professionals. In the industry, I am interested in which is biomedical, working on a cross-functional team is vital because there will not only be one type of engineer. There will be biomedical engineers, and process control engineers but even aside from the varying disciplines people will be coming from different background. By being on a six-person team with a mechanical engineer, energy engineer, and chemical engineer, I was able to learn how they think and how to navigate a project even despite our differences in thinking. There were definitely some bumps in the road but I think that really helped our team grow and helped me learn even more ways how to deal with challenges in such a large team setting. Improving my skill of reading and understanding research papers is another vital skill because that is something I will definitely be doing all of my life if I plan to enter the biomedical field. There are always innovations occurring on medical devices and it’s important to stay up to date by reading research papers. It’s not only the fact that I can read them but also know how to decipher information from them that will further my knowledge of the topic. I improved this skill by reading many research papers on what is currently being a phase change material and other efforts that are being made to improve the efficiency of solar panels. Also, learning how to build relationships with professionals is very important because as an engineer I will always be collaborating with other engineers. It is important to know how to make a relationship beneficial for me but also for the other party so it is not just one-sided.

 

3. How did the Impact Fellowship help you grow personally? Please provide three examples.

Prompts: When elaborating on each thing that has helped you grow personally, ask yourself: 

What was the personal growth?

How did I achieve it?

Why does it matter?

What will I do in light of it?

 

For example, if you became aware of some personal strength, weakness, assumption, or belief, you may elaborate on it by answering the questions:

 

What is the personal strength, weakness, assumption, or belief you became aware of as a result of reflection on your experience?

How did the experience help you to better understand or develop this personal characteristic? How did this personal characteristic influence your interactions with others?

What are the potential personal benefits or challenges related to this personal characteristic in other aspects of your life?

In what specific way(s) will you use this strength, improve upon this weakness, etc., in your life in the future?

The Impact Fellowship has helped me realize that I enjoy working on a cross-functional team, sometimes have difficulty voicing my opinion, and should continue working on my presentation skills. As mentioned previously, my team was very diverse and it really helped me realize that I want that to occur even as a professional. I enjoy that everyone has a different way of thinking due to either their upbringing, engineering discipline, or any other factor that makes them unique. There are some big benefits to this since most jobs I am applying for are looking for candidates that interested in working on a cross-functional team and that is something I can strongly say I would love to do/be a part of. I also realized that I sometimes have difficulty voicing my opinion but I think that is because our team was so big so there would always be ideas jumping around so sometimes it would be difficult to just focus on one. I did realize though that I rather talk one on one with individuals. It allows me to listen better to what the other person is saying and I know that the individual will only be listening to what I have to say. I also realized that I should continue immersing myself in activities that challenge my presentation skills. I tend to get very nervous and it can sometimes show. I want to be more confident in this area so I will most likely take a class that helps me improve this skill. This skill is very important since it is very likely that I will presenting a lot in my job to higher-level engineers about the work I am doing. 

 

From the “Story Elements” framework slides, CHOOSE ONE of the frameworks given.

As a Project Team, construct a story about your project using the five story elements in the order in which they are given, #1 through #5. Each element should have one or two carefully constructed sentences.

The result should be a coherent, beginning-middle-end story about your project that someone who is unfamiliar with your project can follow and understand. The blog entry should be written as a story, not a numbered list. You can write it as a first-person plural story, in other words, the character can be “we.”

If you wish to make it longer than the 1-2 sentence-per-element length, have at it! Just make sure you are following the structure.

Talk it through as a team. Does it make sense? Does it say everything you want and need it to say? If this were the structure of your final presentation (stretched out to 7 minutes), would it be successful, and would the referees know what you were talking about and why?

Sections:

1. Attention-getter – make us listen
2. The Challenge – state or frame the problem as a world-level challenge.
3. The Journey – explain your methodology in an active, action-oriented way.
4. The Battle – describe how, with the help of your allies (partners), you have or will overcome the challenge.
5. The Change – state the solution/outcome/catharsis of this story.

Story:

We are Thermosolar, and we are increasing photovoltaic efficiency by at least 5% through solar panel cooling. In efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, the world is transitioning to cleaner fuels and renewable energy, but solar power is not very efficient. As the temperature of the panel increases, the amount of power output decreases. Our approach involves attaching an enclosed box filled with phase-changing material (PCM) to the back of a panel. Our team conducted experiments to measure the differences in power output of solar panels with and without commercial-grade calcium chloride PCM using different ingredient formulas for the PCM and sizes of PCM boxes. We also measured temperatures at the front and back of the panel to understand the thermal changes occurring over time with and without PCM as well as the latent heat of fusion of the PCM. Tapping into the expertise of Dr. Romero, staff, and Ph.D. students at Lehigh’s Energy Research Center, we gained a stronger understanding of the type of PCM to use and the corresponding formula, the size of the PCM box, and the type of panel that would be more ideal for PCM to adhere to the back. Our experiments resulted in an increased solar panel efficiency via higher voltage from solar panels that were paired with PCM than one without PCM. Increasing the efficiency of photovoltaics by 5% can generate 140 kW more, allowing Lehigh to use more of its own generation on-campus and avoiding paying PPL approximately $21,000 a year.

After presenting our project to 6 judges, we got together as a group went back through our presentation, the Q&A, and the feedback received and came up with a list of TEN takeaways/lessons learned / things to do differently next time. 

1. Be more confident when presenting and answer the questions by referencing previous studies about other phase change materials that have been used for a similar application of increasing photovoltaic panel efficiency
2. Include the accomplishments from last semester in simplified science terms and a timeline addressing the next steps
3. When answering questions be more concise and do not add more if the contribution does not answer the question
4. Elaborate on what is occurring in the pictures that touch on the experiment setup and what exactly we are testing/what are our metrics of success
5. Include research from the lifecycle analysis (calorimetry testing) and other testing conducted
6. Schedule time ahead with the group to practice the presentation together to be more confident when presenting
7. Assign each group member a topic to answer for judge’s questions
8. Explain the product in less technical terms and what exactly we are achieving
9. Spend less than a minute on a slide and do not crowd one slide with information instead include transitions
10. Use a more aesthetically pleasing presentation theme

1. Conceptual Frame Work

           Outlines how Thermosolar will change the way the energy industry works and how consumers access energy. 

2. Process Flow Diagram

Outlines the entities involved for Thermsolar to achieve its goal and the current process.

3. Coalition Visual

Outlines the current and future partnerships Thermsolar needs in order to scale up.

Visuals: Blog Post 10_16

Prompt 1:

Describe at least 5 partnerships with individuals and/or organizations that have been formed to support your project and that impact the success or failure of your venture. For each partnership, explain: 1) What constituted the partnership? 2) How did the partner help you? How did you help them? 3) Was this a symbiotic relationship? Why or why not? 4) What would help strengthen this partnership and make it more equitable?

1.  Ph.D. students working at Lehigh’s Energy Research Center: Lida, Julio, and Abhinay are current partnerships with individuals who positively impact the success of our venture through their technical assistance. 

o   Lida helped us in the lab by providing ingredients and the formula for making the PCM material. He also lent us some equipment from his lab. The relationship was not symbiotic because he was offering technical assistance to our project, but he has not needed our service in return. To strengthen this partnership, when we are finished using the PCM we could offer to donate it to Lida to use for his experiments. We can also ensure his advisor, Dr. Romero, also receives more regular feedback on how helpful Lida has been. 

o   Julio has been present at many meetings offering his knowledge and advice. The relationship has not been symbiotic because it has been one-directional. Although he has expressed enjoyment in working with undergraduate students and interest in the results of our project, there are still ways we can make the partnership more equitable. We could give him credit for any deliverables we come up with and also ensure Dr. Romero knows how helpful he has been. 

o   Abhinay has devoted many hours to creating a simulation of our prototype using sophisticated software. The relationship was symbiotic because he said our model gave him more modeling experience that he leveraged for his dissertation. We could credit Abhinay’s digital model in any report or project submission to a conference or journal. Moreover, one of our team members offered to assist him in connecting to potential employers after he graduates. 

 

1. Lehigh’s Energy Research Center faculty/staff such as Dr. Romero, Bob, and Colleen are current partnerships that directly contribute to our success through their hands-on assistance. 

o   Dr. Romero, the director of the ERC,  is our advisor for the CSIF fellowship. He offers weekly advice on moving forward and potential ideas for our product and ensures our team is on track. Our partnership is symbiotic because it keeps him in touch with students and increases the participation and number of projects at the ERC he directs. To strengthen the cooperation and make it more equitable, we can provide positive feedback about his role to leadership at the university. 

o   Bob built the PCM box prototype and our testing area at the ERC. Dr. Romero advised us to work with Bob as he is a resource to the ERC. Ours has been a symbiotic relationship since Bob is compensated based on work available at the ERC. He received remuneration for helping us. To make the relationship more equitable, we could ensure Dr. Romero and others at the university know how helpful Bob was to us and what an asset he is.

o   Colleen works at the ERC and helps us purchase items essential to our venture and manages our budget. Just like the other aforementioned faculty and staff, it is a symbiotic relationship because her role is to support the students at the ERC. To make the relationship more equitable, we can ensure Dr. Romero and others at the university know how helpful Collen was to us and what an asset she is.

 

1. Stone House Group is a Bethlehem company dedicated to energy management and sustainability consulting services that have offered to assist us. Still, we have not fully explored how we can bring about the full benefits of a partnership. 

o   To date, they have offered to provide their flat-iron roof as an area to test our product. However, one of our team members interned there this past summer, and there are also opportunities to: 

1. Utilize mentorship and advice from former Lehigh University students who are now employees.
2.  Explore possible grants they might be willing to offer. 
3. Network with their connections.

o   We could make any future partnership more equitable by potentially showing them our findings hence connecting them to solar research. We could also connect them to others at the ERC.

 

1. Environmental leaders at major cities in the Lehigh Valley are partnerships that have been explored preliminarily but have not been fully leveraged. However, we recognize these individuals and entities could help market our innovation, connect us to funding, and grow our network.

o   Environmental Advisory Councils for Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton are individuals who advocate reducing their respective city’s carbon footprint and promoting renewable energy. Although one of our team members has communicated with the EAC in Allentown, she has connections to the other councils. To make our future partnership more equitable, we could give the EACs public credit for discovering new green technologies so the public knows the value they offer to them. 

o   Mayors of the three major cities in the Lehigh Valley have publicly expressed an interest in reducing the carbon footprint of their cities. One of our team members actually worked with the Bethlehem Mayor on the city’s Climate Action Plan. Since one of our team members has had excellent working relationships with all three current mayors, she would be prepared to approach them directly on our project and how it could be beneficial to their residents. To make it more equitable, we could publicly extol the mayors for promoting innovations in solar technology, such as our project. 

o   Environmental advocates such as the Lehigh Valley Citizens Climate Corps are connecting with the public on ways to promote renewable energy. Through their direct contact with our possible customers, they would be an essential entity to cultivate a relationship with. Although one of our members briefly mentioned our project to the LV Citizens Climate Corps, there are opportunities to build a partnership with them and other energy advocacy groups. To make it more equitable, our group could serve as resources to them since we are all studying

sustainability. 

   

1. Organizations and individuals focused on startups/innovators are projected partnerships that we have not fully explored. This partnership would have the potential to increase our network, connect to funding sources, and access

to potential partners.

o   Although one of our team members already approached the Ben Franklin Tech Partners of Northeast PA’s manager of Entrepreneurial Support for general advice, further inroads and assistance could be requested, primarily to network with others in this innovation space. Ben Franklin Tech Partners and other organizations hosting meetups for people starting new ventures are essential for our group to connect to. To make it more equitable, our group could serve as speakers or offer our assistance in any way they would need.

Prompt 2:

Provide at least 2 compelling and specific examples of how you might engage with each of the 11 types of organizations that we discussed in class.

 

#1 Multilaterals

• Thermosolar can request technical assistance from the UN Energy. Since the UN Energy is described as “a gateway for sharing information, knowledge, experiences and good practices, both between members/partners and more broadly, through dynamic and action-oriented approaches and with extensive use of information and communication technologies,” we can connect with experts in thermal and solar energy for ways to improve our prototype. 
  • Additionally, we can leverage Lehigh University’s NGO status at the UN for more ways to connect to the UN and resources through them.
  • https://www.un.org/en/energycompacts/page/about
• Thermosolar could contact the International Renewable Energy Agency and inquire about their Project Facilitation activities, which support the deployment of renewable energy projects by helping project developers secure financing more efficiently.
  • https://www.irena.org/ourwork/Project-Facilitation/About-project-facilitation-platforms

 

#2 Government Agencies  

• Thermosolar can apply for a $20,000 grant from the DOE’s State Energy Program, available because of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, administered by Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection for the development, implementation, and installation of our technology at commercial installations
  • https://www.dep.pa.gov/Citizens/GrantsLoansRebates/Pages/PA-State-Energy-Program.aspx
• The Department of Energy has an Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Technology Innovation Portal, which is a resource for technologies that were developed with Energy Department funding. We could look into these technologies and see if anything can be utilized for the development of our project.
  • https://www.energy.gov/eere/funding/eere-funding-opportunities

 

#3 Non-profits

• Thermosolar can contact the Sustainable Energy Fund for funding for the project. Many of the project members have connections with Dr. Rudy Shankar, Lehigh University’s Energy Systems Engineering program director, who is on the board of directors of the SEF. 
  • https://thesef.org/
• Thermosolar can publish its findings with our research to the IEEE’s publications. This would reach more technology professionals, who could provide advice and ideas with us to make a better product for our venture. These professionals can also provide us with contacts for potential partnerships. Since one of our team members knows the leaders of the LV Chapter, she could leverage that connection too.
  • https://www.ieee.org/ and https://r2.ieee.org/lv/communities/societies-chapters/

 

#4 Foundations  

• Thermosolar can apply for a Venture Well grant since we have a technological innovation and are working on a prototype. If we apply to be part of the E-team for VentureWell (VentureWell Accelerator), we can be awarded up to $25,000 dollars as well as be given sponsored training, networking and mentorship opportunities, and national exposure/recognition.
  • https://venturewell.org/
• Although it was difficult to find support from foundations for individual student projects, since most funded 501 (c)(3) orgs for their programs, our project could be one among a few that Lehigh University submits to the United Engineering Foundation. It could be more specific funding under the Campsus Sustainable Impact Fellowship program.  It appears the university could submit as much as $100K from this foundation. 
  • https://www.uefoundation.org/uef-grants-program/

 

#5 Academia  

• Thermosolar can contact Lehigh’s Small Business Development Center that provides support on many levels to entrepreneurs and small business owners. Lehigh professors often use SBDC client businesses for real-world case studies and research projects, so we could discuss with Dr. Romero/Khanjan/Bill this partnership.
  • https://business.lehigh.edu/centers/small-business-development-center

 

• Thermsolar can also contact Professors from the Material Science and Engineering department, specifically, Dr. Misiolek who has previously worked with phase change materials for thermal energy storage on various occasions. This will be of significant value when determining what material would be suitable for the box that could contain the commercial grade salt. 

 

#6 Social Ventures

• Thermosolar can partner with Earthspark through Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, which is a social venture installing mini-grids in villages in Haiti. Through this partnership, the people in Haiti would be provided with more renewable energy through our product, while we gather more data and testing on how our product works in realistic conditions.
  • https://www.millersocent.org/earthspark-solving-energy-poverty-in-haiti-bridges-funding-with-truss/
• Thermosolar can partner with Quintas Renewable Energy Solutions, a social enterprise that provides equipment and services for biomass, solar, and natural gas technologies to address huge energy gaps in Sub-Saharan Africa. Through this partnership, the people in Sub-Saharan Africa would be provided with more solar energy, addressing the energy gaps while reducing the use of natural gas and biomass. In addition, we would have more data on how our product works in the climates of deserts, Sahel, savannas, and tropical forests.
  • https://www.quintasenergies.com.ng/

 

 #7 Think Tanks

• Thermosolar can apply to join the Energy Think Tank which consists of “global energy thought leaders to solve energy challenges”. Members share ideas, participate in educational forums, attend events that encourage engagement, and speak at our conferences. This could be great presentation and networking opportunities for our group.
  • https://www.theenergythinktank.com/
• Thermosolar can join the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, which consists of policymakers, businesses, and other stakeholders to “meet our critical climate and energy challenges”. We can present our venture under an innovative energy technology and meet with its members through forums and conferences.
  • https://www.c2es.org/

 

#8 K-12 System

• Contact Whitehall High School or Broughal Middle School to test our prototype at their school land, gathering more data on how our product works in realistic conditions. In exchange, we can teach the students the basics behind our project, what our project is all about, and what we are hoping to do with it.
  • https://www.whitehallcoplay.org/Domain/12 and https://basdwpweb.beth.k12.pa.us/broughal/
• Let high school students use our prototype in physics lab experiments and we can utilize the data they collect (if software is available). This would give students the opportunity to experience a college research project while providing us with more lab data.

 

#9 Corporations

• Thermosolar can partner with Jinko Solar to integrate the PCM as part of the solar panel. Jinko Solar manufactures monofacial, silicon-based solar panels, which are the panels we wish to use with our product. By integrating our product with the production of these solar panels, it would save costs in installing our product onto the panel. 
  • https://www.jinkosolar.com/en/
• Thermosolar can partner with Enphase Energy to sell our product in the general market. Enphase sells many solar panel accessories, such as micro-inverters, battery energy storage, EV charging stations, and other accessories. With Enphase endorsing our product, we would have much more credibility to our venture and our product.
  • https://enphase.com/

 

#10 Consulting Firms

• Accenture, a large consulting company, which has received “Technology Advisory Firm of the Year” award from Energy Risk 6x, could offer valuable information, research, recommendations, and data on energy/the future renewables landscape, and how our designs could impact the public at a much greater scale. Their research reports utility scale solar that could be useful to us.
  • https://www.accenture.com/us-en/services/utilities/renewables

 

• Ernst and Young offer energy and resources consulting, tackling the decarbonization, digitization, and cost pressures in the energy and resources industry. We can use their research, recommendations, and networking to establish relationship with partners.
  • https://www.ey.com/en_us/energy-resources

 

#11 Startups

• Blue Elephant Energy acquires and operates solar and wind parks in 8 countries, focusing on Western and Central Europe. They have supplied 1,110,767 households with clean energy and saving 1,462,823 tons of CO2, as well as securing 1,707 MWp solar parks. We can present our venture and demonstrate how it can further increase the efficiency of the panels they are acquiring thus maximizing their profits when selling the energy back to customers to achieve a larger portfolio.
  • https://blueelephantenergy.com/de/
• DST Innovations researches and develops sources of renewable energy for commercial and industrial use (our target audience with Thermosolar). We can present to them our venture and receive feedback from the engineers as to what what materials are suitable and where to potentially experiment at a large scale. 
  • https://dst-innovations.net/mission

 

Link to Cases: https://coursesite.lehigh.edu/pluginfile.php/6333803/mod_resource/content/0/EDM%2BGD%20Case%20Study%20-%20Sept%2013.pdf

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

• In the summer of 2012, Ugochi got mugged in a high-crime neighborhood which led her to research the challenges faced by young people and how non-profit organizations are working to support them
• Ugochi launched a social venture to empower young adults to become employable responsible adults, founding the Soccer for Youth Empowerment Tournament (SYE-T)
• ~30,000 young adults benefit every year from the SYE-T, helping them with personal and professional development
• Spikey, a major shoe manufacturer, owns 80% of SYE-T
• Spikey manufactures shoes overseas in Cambodia where all of the manufacturers utilize child labor. Two of them overwork and don’t provide education for the kids
• Spikey’s tax free donation increased from $2 million to $6 million; reaching over 20 cities’ participation
• The entities of in-kind support started dropping out, grossly raising the overall cost of the event and getting rid of the purposeful workshops 
• It came to light that three of the contractors that manufacture Spikeys shoes use child labor (one restricts employment to 20 hrs/week and mandates children go to school, the other two expect kids to work 60+ hours a week)
• The contractors are in compliance with cambodian law
• Ugochi is concerned about the labor practices and how SYE-T is perpetuating child labor abroad
• Spikey wants to include only men 18+ in the competition 
• Mr. Mikey threatens to stop sponsoring the event 
• Ugochi would lose 80% of the funding if Spikey backed out of the deal, and will have to scale down operations/restrict number of participants 

 

Ethical Issue for Part 1:

SYE-T is a nonprofit organization that provides young adults in America an opportunity to become responsible adults and to not fall victim to street crime. A major sponsor of the program is a shoe company called Spikey, that is using child labor to manufacture their shoes. One manufacturer limits working hours and provides education opportunities to their child workers, but the others don’t and overwork the children. However, the child workers could be providing their families with much needed financial help and refusing Spikey’s sponsorship could leave the children unemployed and threaten their family’s livelihood. So the ethical dilema is if it’s right for a nonprofit program aimed at granting opportunity to young adults in America, while taking away opportunity from child workers overseas.

 

Ethical Issue for Part 2:

The founder of SYE-T is facing whether to protect the primary purpose of the organization, which is to help and empower the vulnerable kids, but lose 80% of sponsorship from Spikey; or to continue collaborating with Spikey, which will violate the purpose of the organization and to agreed on the action of switching the organization’s leading target participant to only men over 18 to make the selection of the organization reward more competitive, and exclude women participants from the SYE-T. 

 

Step 2: Define the Stakeholders – those with a vested interest in the outcome 

• Ugochi Wilson (social entrepreneur)
• Soccer for Youth Empowerment (SYE-T)
• Financial donors and contributors to SYE-T
  • The entities who provided Ugochi with in-kind support
  • Spikey
    • Mr. Mikey
• Young people engaging in SYE-T (players) 
• SYE-T staff members
• Social impact supporters of SYE-T
• Contractors that manufacture Spikey’s shoes
  • Employees of the contractors

 

Step 3: Assess the motivations of the Stakeholders

 

Stakeholder	Motivations
Ugochi Wilson (social entrepreneur)	-Help urban neighborhoods and the young people in them that need support  -Keep SYE-T alive, continue having a large social impact, improving the lives of young people, while reaching as many people as possible -Continue receiving support and donations
Soccer for Youth Empowerment (SYE-T)	-Young players: Participate in program, opportunities for higher education; have fun playing soccer; stay out of trouble; potential to get a job,  -Staff members: Take part in an organization with a good cause and a lot of outreach; help the city; make money
Financial Donors	-In-Kind Support: Fund the program so the kids have opportunities to learn and grow; help provide kids with access to healthcare, supplies, jerseys, food, headshots, opportunities  -Spikey: Sponsor an athletic program; encourage competitive soccer; financial gain while projecting a socially-progressive brand image
Contractors that manufacture Spikey’s shoes	-Abide by the law; make money from Spikey by manufacturing their products
Employees of the contractors	-Keep earning money for themselves and their families

 

PART 1

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

Solution	Ethical Principle	Pros	Cons (Consequences and shortcomings)	How the solution upholds the interests of all the stakeholders
Terminate Spikey’s sponsorship	Duty based	-SYE-T Can do the workshops again -Will not be using manufacturers that facilitate child labor	-Lose the majority of funding -Lost the trust and financial backing from other entities that used to support the cause	-The youth keep learning and get opportunities to get jobs  -Ugochi’s social venture remains impactful and influential to the youth and the urban areas
Continue Accepting Spikey’s sponsorship	Utilitarian	-A lot of funding to expand the organization -Provide opportunities to more American young adults -The child workers in Cambodia could help support their families	-Not all the Cambodian children are given education opportunities -Robs the childhood of the child workers that work 60 hours a week	-Ugochi can expand the reach of her program – The youth are well funded and can continue playing soccer -The financial donors look good to the public -Contractors are making money
Only use products that come from the first contractor (not the 60+ hrs/week)	Common Good	– Follows the ethical values of SYE-T –	– Spikey will be providing a significantly smaller amount of shoes to the organization, less young adults have soccer shoes and this may affect their ability to participate in the tournaments –	-Spikey remains the sponsor for the program -SYE-T is only using the manufacturer that enables the child workers to get education – Ugochi would feel a little bit better staying in the sponsorship with Spikey
Warn Spikey that we will collaborate with other organizations that share our value unless if they stop using child labor	Duty based	– Continue with the organization’s mission of supporting young adults while not losing financial support and its ethical principles of not supporting child labor	– it may make the selection of the reward more competitive – The partnership with other organizations may not support enough funding for SYE-T	– SYE-T can continue to pursue their mission and not breaking their public images

 

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

 

1. “Corporate funding can take many different forms. It may be a “one-time” relationship, where a company donates to a specific event or program. Nonprofits can also partner with corporations through cause-related marketing, sponsorships of events, by matching employee donations, and creating an employee volunteer program.” 
2. “Members of The Nonprofit Alliance are nonprofit organizations and firms that provide services to nonprofits. Together we are a unified voice working to strengthen our sector and make the world a better place.” 

 

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 is to warn Spikey that we will collaborate with other organizations if they unethically use the manufacturers that utilize child labor. If we choose to simply accept Spikey’s terms and work with manufacturers who take away the education of children overseas because at the core of the organization is to help young people and by collaborating with such companies the organization risks being hypocritical. Spikey is one of our major sponsors and their sales have grown tremendously from the positive branding image they received from their sponsorship. If we cut off their sponsorship, they will lose their positive image, which will lead to less profit. Ultimately, if Spikey refuses to cooperate, it will hurt SYE-T in the short term financially, but we will recover by asking other companies for donations and support. Other companies will hopefully be eager to sponsor us after seeing how much Spikey profited from their sponsorship and if they see Ugochi’s and the program’s goals and vision. SYE-T can then continue to pursue our mission and not break our public image. Also, by pursuing this solution Ugochi will be able to ethically support young people in the organization and SYE-T’s brand image will remain intact with following its core goals. Therefore, it makes ethical and financial sense to try to convince Spikey to change their contractors.

 

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.

Social: The social impact may exist on the public audience, especially the program participant, who may worry about their future reward and funding. 

Economic: The solution may impact Spikey’s economic growth, where they lose one of the extensive marketing and branding opportunities and channels.

 

PART 2

Step 4: Formulate (at least three) alternative solutions – based on information available, to have a win-win situation for your relationship and your venture.

Solution	Pros	Cons	How does it save face?	Implications on Relationships	Implications on Venture
Terminate Spikey’s sponsorship	-SYE-T Can do the workshops again -Will not be using manufacturers that facilitate child labor	-Lose the majority of funding -Lost the trust and financial backing from other entities that used to support the cause	-This saves the face of SYE-T by Showing the public that SYE-T is not okay with child labor, even if it means losing the majority of its funding	-The youth keep learning and get opportunities to get jobs  -Ugochi’s social venture remains impactful and influential to the youth and the urban areas	-SYE-T stops perpetuating child labor which is more aligned with their social goals
Collaborate with other organizations that share similar values and missions with SYE-T and get funding from these collaborations	– continue with the organization’s mission while not losing financial support.	– it may make the selection of the reward more competitive – The partnership with other organizations may not support enough funding for SYE-T	– This save the face of SYE-T not losing its primary mission while still receiving financial support from other organization	-Strengthen relationships with organizations with similar values  -Weaken relationship between SYE-T and Spikey	-This action may change the business structure of SYE-T since they are now mostly collaborating with the other nonprofit organization
File a lawsuit against Spikey’s action（jury trial)	– It is easier to let the law and  jury decide whether an action of Spikey is ethical and legal or not	– it costs a long time and money to process it  – The result of the case is unpredictable	-This saves the face of Ugochi and SYE-T by standing up to misogynistic beliefs	-Ruin relationship with Spikey	– may impact the organization’s public images
Disclose Spikey’s action on the internet (social media platform) to gain public consensus and create empathy from the public to pressure the sponsor	– beneficial from our perspective – gain public awareness of the current situation of the organization	– break the long-term partnership with Spikey  – sometimes can be unpredictable too	-This saves the face of Ugochi and SYE-T by standing up to Spikey’s bad actions	-Ruin relationship with Spikey	– This also impacts the organization’s image (especially in the social media environment)
Negotiate with Spikey to donate more to create a new division in SYE-T that’s more competitive and is for people over 18, while also retaining the structure and philanthropy of the program that supports the community and accepts men and women of all ages.	– Mr. Mikey is able to create a competition where men over the age of 18 compete – More young adults can be supported through the organization leading to a higher impact	– Mr.Mikey might be very hesitant to do this since he only wants to invest in men 18 years and older –	– This saves the face of Ugochi by not losing the sponsorship	– Could potentially strengthen the relationship between Ugochi and Mr. Mikey by appeasing him	-By not losing any funding… and potentially gaining more, the venture could include the original activities, maintaining the original vision

 

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

 

1. “Brands now see cause marketing partnerships as new marketing channels. If brands can have a great strategy while also winning over a new audience through partnering with an effective nonprofit, the campaign will be well-aligned and likely set up a big marketing win.” 
2. “According to the Corporate-NGO Partnerships Barometer, the primary motivation for a corporation to enter such a partnership is to enhance its brand, reputation, and credibility. On the other hand, NGOs enter partnerships primarily to access funds”

 

Step 6: Select the best course of action – that solves the problem, saves face and has the best short-term and long-term implications for your relationship and venture. Explain reasoning and discuss your solution vis-a-vis other approaches discussed in class. 

 

The best course of action is to negotiate with Mr. Mikey by saying we could have a competitive division to our program in addition to the philanthropic all-inclusive community organization if Spikey provides additional funding. This retains Mikey’s best interests because he gets the competitiveness that he wants and keeps the good PR he receives from donating to our organization. It also helps SYE-T because it will keep its goal of providing opportunities to young people and they will be given more funding. In addition, it helps the young people because it will offer a professional program for them to strive to qualify for. This saves face for Ugochi and S-YET because it will help them keep their main goals of providing opportunities for young people and for keeping their organization all-inclusive. Also in the short term, the organization will be stretched thin with implementing a new aspect of their program, but in the long term, it’ll provide participating young people with something to strive for in the organization and will teach them important life lessons. There is a chance that Mr. Mikey will not agree to the negotiation; this is unlikely since he is very adamant about wanting a competitive league of young adults and by agreeing to the negotiation he will be able to obtain it. It could also help the program increase public interest in the new competitive division in the long term. 

 

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

1. Set a meeting with Mr. Mikey at a SYE-T soccer game to show him how the organization helps kids of all ages including young adults
2. Negotiate for more money to be donated and then SYE-T will allow him to create a new, more competitive division for people over 18+
3. Reach out to the community organizations that offer space, educational activities, employment opportunities and healthcare to the program and rebuild those connections. Then try to include these activities in the program again.
4. Emphasize that the philanthropic goals and inclusion of the program
5. Make the educational and developmental activities mandatory for the kids in the program

 

Larger lessons of the case (what is the point of the case?):

• Balancing the impact of funding/sponsorship and ethics

• Deciding At what point do you sacrifice the expansion of your venture to maintain its original vision

• Decision-making can affect stakeholders at the local level to the global level

 

Sources:

[1] https://www.liveabout.com/how-do-nonprofits-make-money-4779842

[2] https://tnpa.org/

[3]https://www.ama.org/marketing-news/how-brands-and-nonprofits-can-work-together-on-a-cause/ 

[4]https://www.forbes.com/sites/skollworldforum/2015/05/28/corporate-ngo-partnerships-why-they-work-and-why-they-dont/ 

Link to the Prompt: https://coursesite.lehigh.edu/pluginfile.php/6311531/mod_resource/content/0/CINQ%20387_GD_Case%201_Sept%206.pdf

Step 1: Determine the facts in the situation – obtain all of the unbiased facts possible 

• Youth center is based in Kenya 
• Jack is working with kids under the age of 14 and giving them presents that were sent by an international donor organization
• Jack’s job is to hand out the gifts
• 4 kids received blacks hats at the end instead of receiving a gift at the ceremony and were disappointed/upset
• The staff did not care about the kids being upset and told Jack he was being dramatic and creating problems

 

Step 2: Define the problem and the stakeholders – those with a vested interest in the outcome 

Problem: Jack is a student who lives in a youth center to help with social ventures. He was assigned to send out the gifts from the donors to the kids. However, the gift was not enough to give to all the kids. The four left kids only can get a black hat as a gift. The kids are disappointed and start to blame Jack for not preparing the gift for them. The youth center does not consider it a big deal. The primary stakeholder, Jack, needs to decide whether he, as a staff, should give presents to the four children who did not receive a good gift from the donors. 

Stakeholders:

• Jack
• Children from the Youth Center who received gifts
• Children from the Youth Center who received black hats
• Youth Center staff members 
• International donor organization 

 

Step 3: Determine and distinguish between the personal and professional motivations of the stakeholders. 

• Jack: 
  • Personal: Jack wants to have good relationships and a good experience there; makes up for the unceremonious black hats the four children received after the gift-giving ceremony because he is empathetic with how they feel
  • Professional: Jack, as the social venture in the youth center, should continue his benefits of living in the youth center and maybe earn his salary having; to make the staff like him so they may write the recommendations letter for him; be professionally successful 
• Children from the Youth Center who received gifts: 
  • Personal: The kids wanted to receive a gift and be recognized the same way as the other kids at the ceremony. 
• Children from the Youth Center who received black hats
  • Personal: They want to receive the same gifts as all the other kids receive. They don’t want to feel excluded from the team. 
• Youth Center staff members:
  • Personal: The staff does not want to be troubled because they consider the matter to be trivial. There are most likely other kids that require more attention so they rather focus on them.
  • Professional: The staff does not want to get involved with problems. The decision of the changes may affect their job at the youth center and how others view them. They want to complete their duties and not involve too many personal emotions. 
• International donor organization 
  • Personal: The donors want to help the kids, so it will help to improve their sense of well-being. It also shows that they care about not only benefiting the charities themselves but they are also rewarding themselves.
  • Professional: The donation will improve their public image. The donation reward also helps their organization/company gain social awareness. 

 

Step 4: Formulate (at least three) alternative solutions – based on information available, to have a win-win situation for your relationship and your venture.

Approaches [1/2/3: repeat for every action]

• Potential Solution

• How does it solve the problem? (Pros and Cons)

• How does it save the face of those involved?

• Implications on relationships (Short-term and Long-term) 

Solution	Pros	Cons	How does it save face?	Implications on Relationships
Tell the kids that the black hats mean they can create an activity for the youth center for the day	-Makes the kids happier that they received the hat	-The other kids will want the same opportunity  -The staff may see this as a form of activism	It seems that there was a positive motive behind giving them the hats	Short term: Makes the kids happy and gives them the opportunity to do something they want to do Long-term: Staff members may not like this idea and get mad at jack
Ask the international donor organization to send more gifts	-The kids will be able to get a gift that’s just as good as the gifts the other kids got	– They might not send any more gifts -They might not send any gifts in the future	-Jack wouldn’t be asking anything of the staff members, he would just be finding a solution (additional gifts)	Short term: Staff members might get mad at jack for asking  Long-term: Organization might think the youth center is ungrateful/too needy
Have a special day with the kids that did not receive a present such as Arts and Crafts day, be able to decorate the hats	– This will add value to the black hats they received and will make their gift feel special – No additional money has to be spent	– This could also create jealousy among the other kids	– The kids will like Jack more and won’t think he’s inconsiderate – It makes the staff and donors look better because it doesn’t look like they ignored the kids	Short term:  Makes the kids happy and Jack is able to develop a bond with the 4 kids. The staff members will get upset with him for going out of his way since it might increase their responsibility. Long term: – The other kids might feel jealous about how Jack did this special activity with the 4 kids – Jack’s relationship with the staff might be permanently harmed because the staff thinks he’s a children’s rights activist
Jack goes out and buys some gifts for the kids and tells them that it was just in another box	– The 4 kids are able to get similar gifts that the others received – Trust is built between Jack and the kids	– The staff views Jack as a “children’s activist” and negatively – Jack spends his own money – Jack has to lie to the kids	Jack protects the integrity of the youth center by allowing all the kids to have gifts and not have parents be upset that their kids did not receive similar gifts.	Short term:  Makes the kids happy and Jack is able to develop a bond with the 4 kids. The staff members will get upset with him for going out of his way since it might increase their responsibility. Long term: The kids will reach out to Jack if they are having trouble with something and he will be able to help them out since there is that bond.

 

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

1. “Disappointing situations often have the potential to open the door to new events in our lives that we do want. You never know what will come of a situation, so rather than assuming a disappointing situation is bad, instead practice saying to yourself: I didn’t choose this, but let’s see what comes of it” (Vilhauer, 2021). 
2. “New research shows that childhood creativity predicts economic success in adulthood; Childhood creativity also boosts education attainment” (Prowse, 2021). 

Step 6: Select the best course of action – that solves the problem, saves face and has the best short-term and long-term implications for your relationship and venture. Explain reasoning and discuss your solution vis-a-vis other approaches discussed in class. 

We believe that setting up an Arts and Crafts day for the kids who received a black hat is the best course of action for this problem. This will add personal value to the children’s hats and will make them grateful for their gifts. They won’t blame Jack for being inconsiderate towards them and it will also save his face. Also, it will save the face of the staff and donors who won’t seem insensitive for not giving the kids a “good” gift.

Short term:

• Will make the kids feel valued since they didn’t receive good gifts like the other kids 
• Will save the face of Jack and the staff by preventing backlash from the children
• The staff might think he’s becoming a children’s rights activist

Long term:

• The other kids might feel jealous about how Jack did this special activity with the 4 kids
• Jack’s relationship with the staff might improve because they’ll see how happy the activity made the children and that Jack didn’t do other activities that might support activism

 

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

1. Set aside an hour for the four children to create an arts and crafts activity to customize their hat
2. Gather art supplies that the children could use available at the Youth Center
3. Get the four children excited about customizing their hats by telling them how they are the only ones with these hats
4. After the activity, the kids will feel valued that they received blacks hats and will be happy
5. The kids will wear their hats proudly around the other children and staff
6. The staff will be happy with the results because they see how happy it made the four children
7. The other children will be happy with the gifts they received from the ceremony and hopefully won’t be jealous that the 4 kids received customized hats
8. Since all kids are happy with their gifts, the Kenya Youth Center and donors will hear that the gift-giving ceremony went well and will only hear positive things 

Sources:

1. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/living-forward/202103/4-ways-recover-disappointment 
2. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/work-your-mind/202111/the-long-lasting-benefits-childhood-creativity

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

• Lehigh University is working towards becoming a low-carbon circular economy
• Received a $5,000 grant from alumnus and will offer $100k if they are happy with the results
• There are three options for purchasing T-shirts: 1) $2 T-shirts made in a certified garment factory in Cambodia that pays workers above the prevailing local wage. 2) $10 T-shirts made at a garment factory in Los Angeles, where the vast majority of the employees are undocumented immigrants and wage violations and abuse are rife. 3) $25 organic T-shirts made at a garment factory in Lehigh Valley where the employees are paid a fair wageAssumptions:
  • Success for us means: More outreach and increased engagement in students in the Sustainable Lehigh Organization
  • Success for the donor means: t-shirt is made in the USA and by a sustainable supplier
  • The $2 and $10 shirt options are not as good quality material and not sustainably made

Step 2: Define the Stakeholders – those with a vested interest in the outcome

1. Students group who hold the campaign 
2. General public at Lehigh University (includes students and faculties) 
3. Sustainable Lehigh 2030 (Executive Director) 
4. Donors 
5. Factories 
6. Employees at garment factories

Step 3: Assess the motivations of the Stakeholders

1. Student groups: Publicize the low-carbon and sustainable idea to the general public; raise awareness
2. General public: get a free t-shirt
3. Sustainable Lehigh 2030 (Executive Director):  make the pilot phase of the larger initiative successful to receive a follow-on gift of $100,000 for future program development 
4. Donors: have a successful investment in the Lehigh sustainability program
5. Factories: Received as many orders as they can to earn a profit 
6. Employees at garment factories: Received fair wages and respect while working in a fair working environment

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

Solution	Ethical Principle	Pros	Cons (Consequences and shortcomings)	How the solution upholds the interests of all the stakeholders
$2 t-shirts made in Cambodia	Consequence-Based Thinking	-This garment factory pays workers above the prevailing local wage -Can get 2500 of t-shirts, will reach the most amount of students and faculty	-inorganic material -Not domestically made	-Students/Sustainable Lehigh will be happy that more tshirts will be made available to promote their initiative
$10 t-shirts made in LA; undocumented immigrant employees	Consequence-Based Thinking	-Made in America -Cheaper than other American manufacturers	– Wage violations -Workers are abused – Lower amount of 500 T-shirts can be purchased, reach a smaller crowd and not promote the initiatives as much	-The alumnus love products made in America and this product will satisfy them
$25 organic t-shirts made in Lehigh Valley	Virtue-based thinking	– Made in America -Made with Organic materials	– Lower amount of 200 T-shirts can be purchased, reach a smaller crowd and not promote the initiatives as much	-The alumnus love products made in America and this product will satisfy them -Aligns most with the goals of the sustainability campaign

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

• According to FabScrap, the nonprofit fabric up-cycler, “for every pound [of clothing fabric] that we throw away as a consumer, a business throws away 40 pounds” [1]
• “The urge to sell more and get consumers to buy more is still in the DNA of the industry,” says Michael Stanley-Jones, co-secretary for the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion. “Clothes have a very short life span and end up in the dump.” [2]
• “In America that workers put in grueling 12 hour days, making garments that will be sold for anywhere from $5 to $75 for around three cents apiece paid out. The lofty goal of making what amounts to $5 an hour is in reality a pipe dream for them.” [3]

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. 

We believe that buying the $25 organic shirts made in the Lehigh Valley are the best course of action. First it aligns with our sustainability plans, since it’s made with sustainable materials. The materials used in the $25 shirts are good for the environment and the t-shirts would be made locally so there is a very small carbon footprint, if any, on the transport of t-shirts to the University. We don’t want the sustainability campaign to be hypocritical with their shirts because it will weaken the message we are trying to send. Next the alumnus is providing us grants and will provide us with additional grant funds if they’re satisfied with the results. They champion goods produced in America, so buying shirts made in America will be favorable to them. Lastly is that the workers at the Lehigh Valley factory are paid a fair wage and don’t abuse worker rights. We don’t want our cause to be propped up by harsh working conditions or unlawful activities because it makes our campaign unappealing. Given these reasons, the $25 organic shirts fit the interests of our sustainability campaign.

What rules and suggestions will you provide to the student organizations? 

• Club members can get a tshirt

• Offer an info session and whoever (new members) shows up and stays to the end of the info session gets a tshirt

• Strictly one shirt per person

• Incorporate a lottery system and limit the number of shirts that can be distributed at each event and session
• Inform students when they get a T-shirt that if they no longer want the shirt to donate it to the swap shop located conveniently on campus so other students can use it, extend its 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.

• Technology: Our solution will use organic material, and is more sustainably made. It is less likely that using this material/technology will contribute to the great amount of fabric waste that is produced by garment factories [1].
• Economic: Our solution is the most expensive option, so it will produce the fewest amount of t-shirts to give to students and faculty. However it will appease the alumni donor who encourages sustainability and domestic manufactured process, who may donate another $100,000 to the organization. Therefore, using the most expensive option will most likely lead to a very large and generous additional donation. 
• Social: Having the T-shirts be made with organic material, sustainably and ethically made locally, this further promotes the Sustainable Lehigh initiative that the organization is trying to educate their peers about. Choosing this solution is making the organization more successful in transforming the university into a low-carbon sustainable environment.
• Environmental: The material is organic which is good for the environment. Also, the t-shirts would be made locally so there is minimal/less of a carbon footprint on the transport of t-shirts to the University. 

Sources:

[1]. https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/can-fabric-waste-become-fashions-resource

[2]. https://hbr.org/2022/01/the-myth-of-sustainable-fashion 

[3].https://www.forbes.com/sites/syamameagher/2020/02/05/the-not-so-hidden-ethical-cost-of-fast-fashion-sneaky-sweatshops-in-our-own-backyard/?sh=66d721a925d1

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

• There are diseases potentially being spread by reused syringes
• The safety feature is more costly but prevents the risk of contracting an infection due to contaminated needles
• If the safety feature is not included (i.e. the syringe is used more than just once), the risk of further spread increases
• Some hospitals and clinics cannot afford the more expensive equipment
• The goal is to develop a low-cost design for the developing world context

Step 2: Define the Stakeholders – those with a vested interest in the outcome

• Hospitals, manufacturers, patients, doctors and nurses, families of patients, insurance companies, designers, design company

Step 3: Assess the motivations of the Stakeholders

• Hospitals – profit; minimize the spread of disease: For hospitals, not only care about the patient’s condition, but they also care about their reputation after the services; Zero negative feedback should be one of their priorities. The better services they provided, the more profit they received. 
• Manufacturers – profit; maximize units produced: For manufacturers, the more profit they earn, the better. 
• Patients – health, protecting their bodies
• Doctors/nurses – health for their patients
• Families of Patients – health for their relatives
• Insurance Companies – profit; Pay the least amount for the best care
• Designers – profit and safety; Want to make money and want to create a good product
• Company of Designers – profit: If the designer from the company creates a best-use design for the product, the reputation of the designer also represents the company’s honor.

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

Ethical principles: utilitarian approach, the common good principle, duty-based thinking, virtue-based thinking

Solution	Ethical Principle	Pros	Cons (Consequences and shortcomings)	How the solution upholds the interests of all the stakeholders
Add the Auto-disable  Safety Feature to all syringes	Duty and consequence based thinking	Prevents the disease, ensures syringes are used correctly, and increases sales since they’re not being reused.	The product will be expensive and hospitals might not be able to afford it, which might lead to a blackmarket. Another company could sell unsafe.	-The patients/doctors are happy to receive/provide healthy treatment. – Manufacturers would be making more product and more profit -The hospitals and insurance companies won’t make as much profit
Don’t Add Safety Feature	utilitarian approach	The product is affordable for hospitals and patients.	It could be used incorrectly and result in furthering the spread of disease.	-Hospitals save on costs and don’t have to spend as much on syringes -Manufacturers won’t make as much profit because the syringes are being reused -Patients receive unsafe treatment -Doctors would have to provide risky treatment
Add A LOT of Warning Labels	duty-based thinking	The product is more affordable and ensures Doctors/nurses know the risks along with how to use the product.	There are no guarantees and it could be ugly packaging.	Reminder to doctors and nurses using the syringes which would be helpful to first time users and inexperienced hospital workers.
Include disinfectant solution for the syringes to be submerged in	duty-based thinking	The product will include reusable syringes.	There is a risk of other infections and contamination. The solution could increase the cost.	Does not include the expensive auto-disable feature which is attractive to the designer who wants to lower costs. Could increase patients’ trust in their treatment since there is a disinfection period.
Lottery of which hospitals get the syringes with safety feature	the common good principle	Fair distribution of equipment	Still limited quantity of syringes	– The lottery is fair to all patients no matter their social status level. It upholds the interests of the hospitals because they will take less responsibility and lower the damage to the reputation of the hospitals.
Only designing/distributing syringes with the auto-disable feature while seeking/using Sponsorship from governments and rich people	the common good principle	-More affordable to cover costs -ensures public safety	Not a lot of people are willing to support/donate.	– The sponsorship helps to increase the possibility of adding more safety features without concern about the cost.
Lobbying for legal action to require safety features	duty-based thinking	Guarantees all syringes are safe across the country, Ethical decisions aren’t placed on the companies any more	Could result in a Shortage of syringe supply if costs are limited	– Most of the stakeholders are taking fewer responsibilities. – If any problems happen, the government takes most of the consequences. – It is much easier for all the stakeholders to follow.
Education programs run by health professionals	duty-based thinking	Educates doctors and nurses on the risks of multi-use syringes	Costs money and time	-There is no guarantee that every person on the medical staff adheres to the safety protocol. – The general public will live with the potential risk of getting the disease -Hospitals need to commit more time to educate their staff
Signed acknowledgment that patient is aware of the second use of the syringe	utilitarian approach	Patient is aware and accepting potential risks	Some of the patients may be confused about the consequences, which causes the patients to misunderstand the overall action from the hospitals.	– less responsibility must be taken for the hospitals since patients are responsible for their choice.

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

Other companies and their approach

• • ApiJect invented by Marc Koska, founded in 2015, works towards making safe, cheap, and prefilled syringes using blow-fill-seal (BFS) technology for developing countries was able to obtain $111 million in a private round of investment [1]. The large investment has allowed them to heavily invest in the technology that will be used to quickly scale the high demand of the syringe. 

What are the WHO guidelines?

• • • According to the WHO, auto-disable syringes present the lowest risk of person-to-person transmission and are the equipment of choice when administering vaccines in both routine immunizations and in mass campaigns [3]

Data

• • The number of auto-disable syringes UNICEF procured grew from 11 million in 1997 to around 600-800 million per year. UNICEF is also the world’s largest buyer of AD syringes, procuring 40% of the global market. This growth has been accompanied by a significant price drop. Three decades ago, UNICEF paid US $0.12 per unit of an AD syringe. The price has fallen to US $0.03 per unit. [2]
  • A US$3.9 million grant to a Kenyan syringe manufacturer allowed Revital Healthcare Limited to diversify the supplier base and offer the syringes at an affordable price to UNICEF which in turn supplies most of the vaccine syringes for low and middle income countries (LMICs). [4]

Engineering Code of Ethics

• • According to the first rule of the engineering code of ethics, engineers should hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public. This means the safety of the patients should be prioritized over profits. [5]

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 for this ethical issue is to only design and distribute syringes with the auto-disable feature while seeking sponsorship and grants from governments and wealthy donors. It has been shown that grants and private investments are highly beneficial in offering low-cost syringes with the necessary auto-disable feature as shown by Revital Healthcare Limited and ApiJet [1,4]. The sponsorship helps to increase the possibility of adding more safety features without concern about the cost. This solution would lead to more funds available making the cost of design and manufacturing more affordable. Additionally, making only the safety feature syringe option available would ensure public safety since the hospital staff would have no other option but to use the single-use equipment. Looking at other proposed solutions, having the multi use syringes available would result in the public relying on the hospital staff to be thoroughly educated and follow safety protocol, which is not guaranteed.

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.

• Social: The sponsorship from the government/rich people will increase their personal social impact on society because they are contributing benefits to the overall community. However, some of the sponsors may be confused about the reason/motivation for the donation/sponsorship since they have fewer personal benefits. The public goods may help them improve their image, but it does not support their physical earnings. 
• Environment: The use of auto-disable syringes could reduce the prevalence of transmitted diseases in the environment and could make people healthier

Sources: 

1. https://www.fiercepharma.com/manufacturing/apiject-reels-111m-private-investment-round
2. https://www.unicef.org/supply/stories/right-choice-syringe 
3. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/63650/WHO_VB_99.25_eng.pdf?sequence=1
4. https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/articles/syringe-vaccine-distribution-in-af
5. https://pdh.nspe.org/products/canon-1-nspe-code-of-ethics-for-engineers-hold-paramount-the-safety-health-and-welfare-of-the-public