Prompt: While trying to develop a low-cost syringe for the developing world context, you (the designer) hit a crossroads. Constructing the syringe to auto-disable after a single use, an important safety feature, significantly adds to the cost of the design – making it potentially unaffordable for some hospitals and clinics. However, if you don’t add the safety feature, you are enabling the potential for the spread of disease. How do you as a designer proceed?

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

The facts of this particular case are:

• I am a designer of a low-cost syringe for the developing world. 
• The auto-disable feature will limit the potential spread of the disease but its cost will be unaffordable for some hospitals and clinics. 
• The decision of constructing the syringe to auto-disable or not is what exactly needs to be decided.
• The ethical issue ultimately comes down to the decision of producing low-cost syringes without the safety feature that will further spread the disease versus producing high-cost syringes with the safety feature that will ensure that the patients will not spread the disease.

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

The stakeholders with a vested interest in the design of the syringe include:

• Manufacturer/designers engineer the syringes to work as effectively and cost-efficiently as possible
• Hospitals and clinics supply the syringes 
• Doctors and nurses are employed at these locations and use syringes as a priority tool for multiple medical procedures
• Patients receive treatment/testing through syringes 

Step 3: Assess the motivations of the Stakeholders

The stakeholders with a vested interest in the design of the syringe include:

• Manufacturer/designer: wants to create an optimal design that does not jeopardize the lives of others but that is also not too expensive where no hospital or clinic will be able to afford it
• Hospitals and clinics: this group wants to obtain the most syringes as possible at the lowest cost and wants to ensure a stable supply; they rely on government funding and donations so they look to operate within a certain operating budget
• Doctors and nurses: want to use the syringe to help as many people as possible without harming anyone
• Patients: want the best affordable care as possible and to feel healthy as soon as possible

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

Approach 1 

• Potential solution: Pose trials with volunteers with the low-cost syringe and see the results. If the spread is able to be kept at a manageable level, it may be best to still use the syringe.
• Ethical principles or codes: honesty, integrity, consequence-based-thinking (does what is best for a large number of people, other than the people volunteering for the trial)
• Pros: People will not be blindly using a syringe that may hurt them; they will be aware of the risks upon signing up to be a part of the trial. It would be useful to see the true effects of not having the safety feature and to see how much the use of the syringe makes the disease spread
• Cons: This approach may take longer to get the product to market, may be slightly expensive, and could harm the volunteers. It also could show devastating results that show the syringes severely contribute to the disease’s spread, ultimately wasting precious time and money. 

Approach 2 

• Potential solution: Implement the safety feature
• Ethical principles or codes: duty-based-thinking (do what you would want everyone to do), honesty, respect, duty to not harm others
• Pros: This approach would ensure the syringe auto-disabled after each single use and would mitigate the risk of spreading the disease to the people that are able to afford it
• Cons: This approach may be too expensive for hospitals and clinics to implement which would result in less people being able to be treated

Approach 3 

• Potential solution: Keep investing in research and development. It may be worthwhile to keep designing a syringe that both limits the spread of the disease and is low-cost, or to try and source materials from other suppliers that are lower in cost.
• Ethical principles or codes: virtue-based-thinking (tied to character and the right thing to do), consequence-based-thinking (the greatest outcome for the greatest number of people), justice, judgement, duty to not harm others
• Pros: The final syringe design will hopefully be able to auto-disable while still remaining low-cost which will keep patients safe while also allowing the greatest number of people to have access to the product because of its low cost. 
• Cons: This approach will take longer to get the product to market, may require additional researchers, and may be costly

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

Due to the current pandemic of COVID-19, trials of vaccines have begun to be conducted. The trials have been conducted at U.S. clinical research sites and have enrolled approximately 30,000 adult volunteers. This previous case with COVID-19 illustrates the importance of trials for medical device objects and treatments on human subjects.

In terms of an inner reflection, I believe I would not be able to simply produce the syringes without the safety feature and risk spreading the disease further. It may do more harm than good, and if that is the case then it is not worth bringing the product to market at all. I also would not want to damage my reputation or the company that I work for’s reputation in the process. 

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.

I believe the best course of action is the third approach: to keep looking for a solution. The trial could be a waste of time and money that could be concentrated on other research efforts. To implement the safety feature would be ideal, but because of its high cost it would not be accessible to a larger-scale of people. There needs to be a solution that is both cost-effective and safe, and in my opinion it is worthwhile to spend more time and money focusing on finding it. 

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.

The implications of my final solution on the venture is that it may take a long time and it may take a while for the product to get the market. The venture’s technology will have to be reanalyzed and redesigned, and its cost will have to be low enough so that it is accessible to most hospitals and clinics. Once a solution is developed, it will be the best option for the greatest number of people.

1.Refine the detailed income statement for your venture for two years (at six month intervals) or a more appropriate time scale. Explicitly state the assumptions that underlie your financial model 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1g09BPhoWGD8-XjKwV9XHMQGu20J8G7QC2J90jNLX0Is/edit#gid=0

2.Refine the Business Model for your venture based on your revenue model. You may use the Osterwalder BMC to refine your business model but prepare one or more visuals that explain how your venture will work and accomplish your BHAG.

1. Customer Segment-

• Entrepreneurs: See the opportunity in obtaining cheap raw material that can be used to create a higher-value product to be sold back into the marketplace
• Non-profits: organization previous clean beaches and discards the collected plastics into the landfill, which goes back to the ocean. The venture provides them a methodology that ensures plastics from returning to the environment
• Donors:
  • Barangay/government is interested in providing financial aid to motivate people in starting the venture because it diverges post-consumer plastic waste from the landfill while providing employment opportunities.
  • Plastic manufacturers are interested in providing financial aid as a way to offset their negative environmental image to the public.

2. Customer Relationships

• Service plan that offers maintenance of the recycling machinery in the facility
• Junkshop: Connects junkshops to ventures as suppliers to ensure the venture’s success
• Machine Manufacturer: Offers a business opportunity for manufacturers to earn an income in selling the machinery to us

3. Channels:

• Website- connect to people, provide entrepreneurs with information on the venture

4. Value Proposition

• We provide the Filipino community a sustainable approach to reducing plastic pollution by offering entrepreneurs the opportunity to transform post-consumer plastic waste into higher-value products that can be sold back to the community.

5. Key Activities:

• Maintaining connections with all the recycling facilities that start their plastic venture
• Providing the training needed to operate the recycling machinery
• Provide the installation service needed to start the recycling facilities
• Reach out to other entrepreneurs to start their venture
• Conducting business with the manufacturing company to provide our customers with the machinery to start their venture
• Network with junk shops to connect them to our customers as suppliers

6. Key Partners:

• Machine Manufacturer
• Mold Maker
• Government (ensure our plastic products meets standards)

7. Key Resources:

• Machinery Fabrication facility
• Junk shops
• Connections with entrepreneurial groups

8. Cost Structure:

• Machinery
• Machinery installation, maintenance, training
• Traveling for network maintenance and opportunities
• Overhead

9. Revenue Stream:

• Business in a box package: establish facility, training, and connections to ensure success in business
• Service plan: machinery maintenance
• Advanced machinery training

3. Develop an M&E plan for your venture.

• Clearly list all assumptions.
  • Entrepreneurs will only produce the products that we decide for them (wall system)
  • Entrepreneurs would run their facilities at the classical 8 hours per day rate
  • Entrepreneurs will report their sales on a monthly basis
  • Entrepreneurs will reveal the amount of plastics they purchase from the junk shop
• Identify short-term and long-term success metrics.
  • Short term:
    • The number of plastic bricks sold on a monthly basis
    • The number of facilities in Manila per volume of plastic waste
  • Long term:
    • Amount of post-consumer plastic that are turned into products and sold
    • The number of micro recycling facilities that have been built and have recovered their capital investment
• Identify specific methods to measure the metrics.
  • Provide some sort of benefit, such as a discount towards service plan (machinery maintenance), for entrepreneurs who report
    • the amount of bricks they sell
    • the amount of post-consumer plastics obtained from junk shops

Develop a detailed income statement for your venture for two years (at six month intervals). Explicit state the assumptions that underlie your financial model.

Revenue Stream:

• Business in a Box
  • Sale of machinery
  • Installation fee
  • Initial training fee (entrepreneur and staff)
• Service Contract: Maintenance plan
• Additional/advanced training for new staff

Cost Structure:

COGS:

• Machinery
  • Cost of machinery, purchased from fabrication shop
• Personnel (Employee):
  • • Assembly of and quality check on machinery
    • Dispatch people to do maintenance
    • Training of new entrepreneurs and laborers
    • Commission for sales team
  • Travel for installation, maintenance, and trainings
  • Cost to ship machinery

Operating Costs (Overhead):

• Staff
  • Marketing and sales
  • Public relations/grant-writer
• Operations
  • Office space rental
  • Utilities
  • Office supplies (e.g. computer, stationeries, etc.)
  • Travel for maintenance of network

1. Identify two SPECIFIC funding sources for the design phase of your project and two SPECIFIC funding sources for the dissemination (implementation / distribution / commercialization) phase of your project. For each funding source, explain why this is a good fit for your project, and what SPECIFIC aspect of your project might the funding source support.
   1. Venture Well (Design Phase): Venturewell provides funding to tech startups during their early stage. PlasTech Venture is in their early stage where the team is working on finalizing a wall system design. Funding from VentureWell can go towards testing the effects of contamination on the material properties of recycled plastics. In addition, the funding can also go towards prototyping the machinery to produce the plastic products.
   2. Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (Design Phase): DRK provides 3 year funding of $300,000 to early stage startup ventures (1-3 years old) whose goal is to provide solutions to big problems that will create lasting positive impact. PlasTech Venture fits the primary requirement for DRK. Funding will go towards prototyping machinery and products, testing contamination concepts, and aid in travel costs for the venture.
      1. https://www.drkfoundation.org/apply-for-funding/what-we-fund/
   3. Roddenberry Foundation -The Catalyst Fund (Implementation Phase):The fund is geared towards small/ early stage ideas that need capital to launch or prove viability. PlasTech Venture is an early stage venture and will need funding to launch the first venture in Paradise village Manila, Philippines. Funding will subsidize some of the cost to the first (maybe more, depending on the funding) entrepreneur who will be interested in investing in PlasTech Venture’s business in a box strategy. The money will be used to offset some of the cost associated with installing the machinery at the facility and providing training to workers in operating the machinery. 
      1. https://roddenberryfoundation.org/our-work/catalyst-fund/
   4. Government/Barangays (Implementation Phase) – Barangays in the Philippines have a decentralization law in place that breaks down waste at the barangay level. Future funding for implementation could come from this source. Since barangays already took the initial necessary step to help combat the plastic waste crisis, they will likely fund our community-based recycling model to encourage a larger scale of people to turn their plastic waste into something that can be used again. This funding could assist PlasTech Ventures in covering some of its costs or could incentivize local citizens to use one of our machines; the government could enact a reward system for citizens that bring their used plastic materials to a facility that has our machines to promote community-based recycling. 
2. Identify five specific partnerships that you need to forge to advance your project forward with the ultimate goal of positively impacting at least one million people. Describe exactly how that partnership might help you achieve scale and why that entity might be willing to work with you.
   1. Manufacturing Company (Caterpillar, Inc.?): The partnership with the manufacturing company would be beneficial to the team by acting as a supplier for the machinery component of our business in a box strategy. The Manufacturer would be willing to work for our company because they earn a profit for each machinery they build. These machinery will receive a quality inspection. 
   2. Philippine Plastic Industry Association: The partnership will aid the team in making sure that the products that will be manufactured and the machinery operation process will meet Philipino standards. PPIA will be willing to work with PlasTech Venture because they are interested in minimizing environmental impacts associated with plastics along with ensuring the well-being of Flippino. 
   3. Plastic Tides (NGO): This partnership will help us by becoming the first entrepreneur to invest and purchase our business in a box solution. Plastic Tides will be willing to work with us because we share a common goal of eliminating plastic pollution. The business in a box package will allow the company to ensure that the plastic that is collected from the beach will not end up back in the ocean. Plastic Tides would also obtain another source of income to sustain the organization.
   4. Local Construction Company in Manila Philippines (Gold Leaf Construction?):This partnership would allow us to promote our products to the construction company and establish credibility in the industry. The construction company would like to partner with us because they would be interested in alternative construction materials that can meet their needs while reducing their material costs and increasing their ease in assembly.
   5. A junk shop in Manila (Jirah Junk Shop): This partnership would allow the venture to establish a plastic supplier for our clients who will purchase our business in a box package in order to create products out of plastic. The junk shop will be willing to work with us because this is a business opportunity for them to sell their plastics.

1. Refine Your Business Model Canvas

Visual canvas

Specific notes for each block:

1. Customer Segments: Our primary customer segments are Junk Shops and Entrepreneurs in Manila. When selling our “business in a box” model, it will appeal most to individuals trying to boost their personal income by starting a business because the business model is already laid out for them, they just have to implement it. Targeting junk shops will give them the opportunity to create value from the cleaned and recycled plastic they are already collecting; however, not all junk shops will have the real estate and manpower to expand into manufacturing. Entrepreneurs may be more likely to start from scratch and purchase a facility and hire individuals to work the machine while partnering with junk shops to source their plastic.
2. Customer Relationships: At steady state, forming a Community for the junk shops and entrepreneurs that comprise the community-based recycling system will allow individuals to learn from each other, increasing the sustainability of the venture. Reducing the need for intervention from PlasTech Ventures, except for the initial purchase and installation of machines, will help the communities to reach a new equilibrium that does not foster dependency.
3. Channels: We will rely mainly on indirect channels to reach our customers. A website will be used to spark interest and provide information on both the recycling technology and business opportunity. We will utilize our connection with the UDP to further expand our venture in the Philippines.
4. Value Proposition: We help Filipino entrepreneurs earn a profit by providing them the technology and a business model that will transform plastic waste into higher-value products that can be sold back to the community.
5. Key Partners: The partners that will be essential to our venture’s success are the companies that manufacture the machinery and molds for the brick design that are included as part of the “business in a box.” Our partnership with the UPD gives us credibility and allows us to tap into the existing connections that  UPD has with the Filipino communities.
6. Key Activities: The key activities for the venture at steady-state will be overseeing the network of community-based recycling facilities and educating new entrepreneurs. The team will stay connected with all of the recycling facilities to provide direct support and ensure that the operation runs smoothly. The team will need to develop an onboarding strategy and machinery training for new entrepreneurs. In order to reach the steady-state point, the PlasTech Venture team must first develop the product suite, develop the technology to produce the products, and establish a business network for the venture in the Philippines.
7. Key Resources: One key resource for the steady-state operation of our venture is the junk shops that supply the plastic for production. Another key resource is the onboarding instruction which will play a crucial role in familiarizing the entrepreneur in operating the machinery and business. The machinery itself is also a key resource that will be important in order to produce the goods that will be sold in the market.
8. Revenue Streams: PlasTech Venture’s primary revenue stream will be selling the “business in a box” model to entrepreneurs in the Philippines.  This model will include the machinery and mold to manufacture bricks, an installation fee, and a training fee.
9. Cost Structure: The majority of the costs at steady-state for the venture will come from outreaching both the entrepreneurs and market for recycled plastic products, research and development, and maintaining partnerships and supply chains. Installing the machinery at the recycling facility and providing the necessary training to operate the machinery will also contribute to the cost.

c. Explain how exactly you will deliver an end-to-end solution.

1. Reach out to entrepreneurs and junk shops in the Philippines to generate interest in starting a PlasTech Venture in their region.
2. Collaborate with the entrepreneur to network and establish a steady supply of  clean and sorted recycled plastics to the facility
3. Provide the machinery to the entrepreneur and help them install the machinery in the facility
4. Provide a machinery maintenance plan and training for operating the machinery
5. Maintain connection with the entrepreneur/junk shop to provide technical support when requested

B. Ten practical lessons from the business (revenue) models of ventures we reviewed today (or others you research) as they relate to your venture.

1. Envirofit: Display the value proposition that is specific to both the customer and other stakeholders. On Envirofit’s website, the “Reducing GHG emission by 60%” is appealing to groups such as the government while the “$2.50 savings per week” is appealing to the customers who will be using the technology
2. Greyston Bakery: Doing socioeconomic good that allows the company to give back to the community. In return, customers become more willing to make purchases from the company knowing and trusting that the company is doing good for the community.
3. Reel: Providing an opportunity for customers to not only grow their own produce in a simple way but to also save valuable resources (80% less water).
4. Barefoot College: “You are certified by the community you serve. You don’t need a paper…to show that you are an engineer”. There is a greater significance and value in taking action and showing your capabilities rather than stating what you may potentially achieve.
5. Value propositions are short and to the point, making them very compelling. The value proposition can simply pitch the impact.
6. The business model for Greyston Bakery is focused on “creating prosperity all along the value chain.” This allows the business to profit, but also benefits the community. This starts with the open hiring process. Their slogan, “we don’t hire people to bake brownies, we bake brownies to hire people,” confirms that their motivation for starting the business was not just profit.
7. By simplifying the gardening process, Reel Gardening expanded their reachable market by eliminating the need for skilled labor.
8. Business innovations do not always have to be technological, it could be an improvement in a company’s hiring processes that offer human support and introduce a new frame of thinking. In Greyston Bakery’s case, they gave previously imprisoned people the opportunity to rebuild their life, from providing affordable housing to even providing childcare for employees.
9. This college only for the poor (Barefoot College) redefined professionalism – Roy wanted to illustrate that its students’ knowledge and skills were universal and relevant, even if they were not learned in the form of traditional education. This new educational institution offered opportunities for people that would not have otherwise had the opportunity to attend school. This encourages entrepreneurs to think differently and to look out for opportunities to help underrepresented people as we can learn a lot from the skills they offer, even if they may be different from the skills we have.
10. In the Barefoot College example, I thought it was really interesting that he used sign language to train the three women to become solar engineers. This shows that language barriers will not deter dedicated workers from making progress and making real change happen. The initial training created a ripple effect that perpetuated the spread of knowledge to multiple communities, since these women were able to communicate what they learned to their community that spoke their own language. Roy also mentioned that people don’t have to look for solutions outside – they can look for solutions within, and people should always be willing to listen to others, because people may just have solutions right in front of them.

1. Develop a Business Model for your venture using the Osterwalder Business Model Canvas.

Business Model for Venture:

Value Proposition:

• We help Filipinos reduce the amount of plastic generated in the landfill by selling them a business solution that would allow them to turn recycled plastic into high-value products that can be sold

Customer Segments:

• Junk shop owners in Manila
• Entrepreneurs in the Philippines (Paradise Village specifically)

Channels:

• Plastic supplier from waste management facility
• Junk shops or other retail stores to sell the finished product 

Customer Relationships:

• Nanays in Paradise Village
• NGOs
• Junk shops & entrepreneurs

Revenue Streams:

• US: Selling the manufacturing technology and business model
• Entrepreneur/junk shop: Selling plastic bricks to people 

Resources:

• Equipment for testing at Mountaintop
• Recycled plastics
• Junk shops and entrepreneurs
• Nanays
• UPD
• Lehigh University facilities and staff

Partners:

• Machinery manufacturing company
• Junk shop
• Entrepreneurs
• UPD

Activities:

• Oversee system of community-based recycling facilities
• Develop the technology (the machineries and molds) that entrepreneurs and junk shops will need in order to produce the recycled plastic products.
• Educate entrepreneurs/junk shop how to operate the machineries
• Help the entrepreneurs/junk shop in obtaining the machineries to produce plastic products
• Negotiate with manufacturers to produce the machineries and molds that will be sold to the entrepreneurs/junk shops

Costs:

• The tools and equipment necessary to develop the prototypes of the machine
• The material and testing facility to test the wall system made out of recycled plastics
• Prototyping the building blocks out 
• Machinery cost
• Cost of installation
• Training cost

Business Model for Junk Shops/Entrepreneurs:

Value Proposition:

• We reduce the amount of plastic entering landfills and oceans by turning recycled plastic into high-value products and selling them to the community

Customer Segments:

• NGOs
• Private citizens hoping to use bricks to build structures for their own use

Channels:

• People collecting waste plastic

Customer Relationships:

• Nanays in Paradise Village
• NGOs

Revenue Streams:

• Selling plastic bricks to people 

Resources:

• Machinery
• Business model
• Plastic
• Nanays
• UPD
• Lehigh University facilities and staff

Partners:

• Machinery manufacturing company
• Nanays
• Lehigh University
• UPD

Activities:

• Oversee system of community-based recycling facilities
• Produce higher-value products from plastics
• Educate entrepreneurs/junk shop how to operate the machineries
• Help the entrepreneurs/junk shop in obtaining the machineries to produce plastic products

Costs:

• Machinery

2. List ten lessons from the Business and Operations model of the Aravind Eye Hospital

1. You must create ownership in the community of the problem and engage them as partners. There have been many cases where people identify a large scale issue and attempt to implement a solution without consulting or engaging the community involved. Community members may not appreciate this effort without being engaged. For instance (outside of the US), there was a case where the government decided to build houses to natives as an effort to provide housing. At the end of the construction, no native moved into the house since the housing structure was completely different from the values the natives held. All the efforts and materials were wasted from the lack of consultation to understand the needs of the native.
2. No matter how successful a business or operation appears to be, you must take a step back and evaluate the big picture. There was a point in Aravind Eye Care System where the group was providing examinations and glasses per person every 20 minutes. In addition if eye surgery was necessary, the service was provided the next day. From the perspective on the rate that services are provided to patients, it appears as if the company is doing great! However, after analyzing the efforts from a bigger perspective, the company found that they have only reached 7% of the people in need of eye care or service. This number pointed out that the company was not meeting their goal of adequately addressing the bigger problem and expanding their service to a larger population. 
3. You must work around the pre-conditioned situation and environment of the existing issue. When Aravind Eye Hospital first started out, their goal was to provide low-cost eye care to millions. As they expanded, the group faced the challenge in reaching out to people outside of their 5 hospitals. Many patients were unable to travel the long distance in order to receive the treatment they needed. Aravind Eye Hospital identified the travel barrier and developed the solution of sending out vans to provide the treatment patients needed in their hometown. 
4. You must be willing to expand outside of your expertise in order to achieve your goals. Aravind Eye Hospital failed their negotiation with a tech company in order to obtain the necessary tool to provide low-cost care to their patients at one point in time. The failed negotiation led the company to expand their service only company to the manufacturing industry. The company did so well in reducing the cost of production that they eventually managed to reduce the cost of the technology to 2% of its original cost.
5. They get glasses in the frames of their choice. Even when starting a social venture like this, it is still important to consider demand in the market. The company even stated that people were willing to pay more for frames they liked. This not only increased the surplus, but also provided those who needed glasses with a pair they felt confident in.
6. Using the producer surplus gained from market inefficiency allows them to provide services for free. This increases the portion of the market that the venture can reach, but does not exclude those in need because they cannot pay.
7. By taking advantage of economies of scale by producing a diagnosis device inhouse, rather than purchasing them from another vendor, they were able to keep costs down. This allowed them to expand within India and eventually to other countries.
8. They focused on the value propositions of quality and timeliness; people were able to get high-quality spectacles in just about 20 minutes. Also, if a person needed repairs on their glasses, they were available to fix their glasses right there at the campsite. For people that needed surgeries, they had buses waiting to take them to the base hospital, they received surgery the following day, then they took a bus back to where they came from. Focusing on these two qualities, while also providing the services at a low cost, improved engagement within the community.
9. Logistical support may not always be readily available; Aravind ensures that there will be buses ready to take patients to the hospital right away. If it weren’t for this easy accessibility, many people would probably never get these services. Accessibility is important to consider when developing our own venture because even if people do want our product, there needs to be a clear plan on how they will receive it, and these resources may not always be readily available. 
10. The productivity of Aravind’s staff was significantly higher than anyone else’s – they had excellent quality assurance systems that significantly lowered the complications of their processes. This was one of the reasons why their costs were significantly lower when compared with the UK’s costs as well. PlasTech Ventures can look into developing a similar set of activities that determine the most effective procedures and standards to develop our products – more specifically, we can look into auditing the quality of our machines frequently and training people on how to use the machines properly.

1. List five compelling take-aways from the Art of the Start.

• Kawasaki says, “Make meaning through increasing the quality of life and preventing the end of something good.” Solely focusing on how you make money will attract the wrong employees, because they will not have the passion to solve the issues associated with your venture. Finding people that show they care about the problem the product hopes to fix is critical. The core values of a successful company are much more than a marketing ploy to show customers – they’re a definition of what the company stands for and what its mission is, and you need to have people who reflect these values in order to progress the mission forward. Corporations benefit from employees that believe in what they are doing – these workers probably work longer hours and are more passionate about the future and direction of the company.
• Mission statement takeaways: do not make it too lengthy because it makes people lose sight of what your company is all about; it will not be memorable. Instead, create a mantra – like “healthy fast food” for Wendy’s. Well constructed and well communicated mission statements can help align and focus an organization.  When mission statements are defined in clear, precise, and inspiring terms, an organization’s reason for existing and where it is going emerges, helping to drive success both now and in the future.
• Just get going, and while doing so, think differently, polarize people (this helps boost revenue – don’t try to appeal to every customer segment), and find soulmates with different skill sets to balance the team out. Diverse teams offer different perspectives and will offer more opportunities for the team to approach problems from different angles.
• Be specific in your business model. How will you get people’s money? Keep it simple – innovate on technology rather than business models. 
• Keep the slides on presentations low. Keep everything concise – people will eventually lose interest. Put the core of the text on your slide – you should not read your slides, you should be confident enough to talk about it without reading from your slides. 

2. Articulate your value propositions for your diverse customer segments. 

Customer segments:

• Entrepreneurs in the Philippines
  • “Environmentally-friendly recycling machine, created to give people a new economic opportunity” 
• Junk shop owners in Manila
  • “Environmentally-friendly recycling machine, aiming to create a new use for the excess PET bottles in junk shops”

General value proposition:

• “We help Filipinos reduce the amount of plastic generated in the landfill by selling them a business solution that would allow them to turn recycled plastic into high-value products that can be sold”

3. Discuss your Total Available Market and Total Addressable Market. List all your assumptions and hypothesis.

• The total available market is all of the Philippines (population: 105 million people) – this includes all junk shops and all entrepreneurs looking for ways to make more income. A lot of Filipinos have low incomes, which is one of the reasons why the sachet culture emerged and in turn the plastic waste crisis they currently face. Our venture aims to address both of these issues. 
• The total addressable market would be starting in Manila (which was where fieldwork was supposed to be, population: 1.78 million people), – this includes 366 junk shops and people that are looking for additional revenue. Being that Manila is still a large addressable market we will specifically be focusing on the barangay of Paradise Village. Approximately 20% of plastic waste in the Philippines ends up in oceans (half a million tons) and we are aiming to lessen this number by 2-3% with the initial usage of our machines so that more plastic can be turned into usable products.

1. Summarize and report out on the results of the SKS exercise.

When talking amongst each other about our team dynamics, we identified things we want to “Start”, “Keep”, and “Stop.”

Start:

• Holding ourselves and each other accountable for the tasks we commit to. It can be difficult to ask your peers to contribute more (or less), and to communicate this constructively. By improving upon this skill, we will collectively accomplish more and advance the project forward more quickly.
• Setting clear objectives with dates. Our team has done a good job so far of setting objectives for the end of the semester and identifying weekly goals necessary to meet these objectives. However, adding more deadlines throughout the semester to ensure appropriate progress is being made will help us stay on track and avoid going in circles.
• More team bonding! By spending time together outside of project meetings, we will have a better idea of the strengths and weaknesses of our team members, outside of an academic setting. This will help us to avoid the functional fixedness bias.

Keep:

• Being open, honest, and willing to ask for help. Our team has done a good job so far about being honest and open with the rest of the team about when we are having a particularly challenging week and are unable to contribute to our normal extent. By communicating this honestly, it allows the entire team to adjust their expectations and objectives for the week accordingly.
• Being enthusiastic about the project. Each member of our team has different but similar motivations for joining the project. We all share a similar level of enthusiasm that is helpful for encouraging each other when we face adversity.
• Divide and conquer tasks to reach the desired end goal. This team is unique in that we have diverse majors and skill sets. By allowing team members to take responsibility for tasks they are passionate about and have experience with, we ensure that all tasks are completed well.

Stop:

• Waiting until the last minute to complete assigned tasks. As we are all busy and have different schedules, sometimes a lack of communication results in leaving tasks to the last minute. If nobody is able to start an assignment until the day before it is due, we are not able to complete it to the quality that we could have if we started earlier. By communicating more clearly about a timeline for individual assignments, all of our work will be done to a higher quality.
• Going around in a loop, as it slows progress and lowers morale. This is tied to our goal to start setting clearer mid-semester goals to act a progress marker.

2. Develop a detailed Collaboration Plan for your team clearly articulating your Goals (Small g and Big G), Roles, Procedures, and Relationships.

Goals:

•  What are the personal goals (small g) of each member on this team? *Make sure they connect to the DREAM on the Individual Profile.

• • Laura: Use the technical skills I’ve developed through my coursework at Lehigh to  make positive change on global scale
  • Susan: To change the way people currently live to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly through my mechanical engineering and product design background.
  • Kelly: Using my experience to manage the distribution channels of plastics to ensure there is consistency in the types of plastics used, so that the bricks ultimately can be of high quality to the population of the Philippines. 

•       What is the Project GOAL (big G) we’re all committed to achieve together?

• • To provide a clean environment for Filipinos to live in by diverting solid plastic waste from landfills and preventing plastic pollution in the oceans.

•  Is our Project Goal scaled to our resources (dreams, materials, skills, differences, etc.) and constraints (assignment, time, skills, etc.)

• • No, the project goal is extremely massive (the entire country), which is the size of our dreams. However, with our current resources we are not ready to change the entire country all at once. Therefore we are taking little steps, starting with a small community in Manila, where we are able to more effectively apply the skills and knowledge of a five member team from all different backgrounds to not only combat the plastic crisis but to also develop a business opportunity for Filipinos living in poverty. Scalability will be assessed at a later stage in the project.

• What are the metrics for success for what we’re producing?

• • Pounds of solid recycled plastic waste used to make products
  • Quantity of products made from recycled plastics
  • The number of people unemployed in the Philippines
  • The number of entrepreneurs who adopt our business model
  • The number of junk shops who adopt our business model

Roles:

• Who is responsible for which deliverables?

• • Paper on compressive strength of recycled PET
    • Laura
  • Paper on junk shops
    • Kelly
  • Wall system prototype and machinery design 
    • Susan and Andy
  • Manufacturing Process
    • Ellie

• Which deliverables that require collaboration, subgroups & individual work?
• Who does each person depend upon to succeed?

• • All the deliverables will require some sort of collaboration with at least another team member. For the wall system design and prototyping, Susan will be leading the effort with Andy supporting her. Andy will be in charge of redesigning the machinery with Susan and Ellie providing support along the process. Kelly will be conducting the supply chain and junk shop investigation with side support from the entire team. Laura will be conducting testing on the compressive strength of recycled plastics (with different contamination levels) over the summer at mountaintop and Kelly will be assisting her in the effort. 

• Do we need a project manager to coordinate?

• • The team has been coordinating well with each other. At the end of every meeting we determine the next steps that are required to progress the project and delegate the tasks according to people’s assigned role on the team. Each member thus far have done a good job in completing their tasks by the deadline. 

•   What are the deliverables each person is accountable to produce?
  • Laura: Research results and a written paper on the compressive strength of recycled plastics at different contamination levels
  • Susan: Develop 3 wall system design, produce prototypes of wall system, create building block on solidworks for FEA
  • Andy: Develop mold for wall system, develop machinery needed to produce the wall system, fabricate the machinery
  • Ellie: Develop the manufacturing process plan to produce the building block
  • Kelly: Develop the financial model and supply chain of the recycling business 

Procedures:

• Decision Making
  • What process shall we use: consensus, majority rules, deference to expert, default to the loudest, or?

• • • Decision making will result from mainly a team consensus.

•  Effective Meetings – Focus on key, timely decisions together vs. status/update (offline)
  • Meetings occur every Friday where each team member presents their work for the past week. The team analyzes the result of all the team members work and determines the next steps as a group. The team then divides and conquers the tasks needed to achieve the next steps by the next week deadline.

•  Meeting roles: scribe, facilitator, time keeper
  • The team rotates on being the scribe. The team goes around one by one on the work they have done to further the project. Brian acts as the facilitator and asks key questions to push the team forward.

• Communication – FTF: frequency, time, location; type of technology: (Googledocs, Zoom, Hangout, etc.); expectations for responsiveness; ‘best time to work’ (AM, PM, weekends?)

• • The general meeting between the team, advisors, PI, and sponsors occur on Fridays from 11am-12pm on Zoom. The team communicates with each other through Slack anytime of the day and expects a response whenever another team member reads the message. 

Relationships:

• Team Diversity – What is the diversity on our team? Disciplines to tap for solutions;  individual learning styles for the stages of invention; overall team learning style strengths and places to supplement;  cultural backgrounds , work experience, dreams to leverage for scope & impact of goals, new roles, better procedures; languages for more diverse customer set, bigger market

• • Currently our team is composed of people from all kinds of backgrounds that has contributed to advancing the PlasTech Venture forward. First, the majority of the team is pursuing a different major. Andy and Susan are mechanical engineering majors (Susan is also pursuing a product design minor) and have been really involved in making various designs of wall systems and the machinery to produce the wall systems. Ellie is an ideas major (mechanical engineering and environmental studies) who has been investigating UV degradation on plastics to understand how the wall systems will be impacted by the sun over a long period of time. Laura is a material science engineering major who will be conducting research on the compressive strength of recycled plastics at different contamination levels. Lastly, Kelly is a supply chain major and is playing a major role in determining the movement of plastics in the Philippines. 

•   Listening – Notice my binary thinking, auto-rankism, and go beyond it.

• • When developing different designs of the wall system, the team brainstormed and sketched designs for a week. During the Friday meeting of sharing all the designs that were created, the team provided critics on the designs and took best practices from each other. The team listens closely to each other’s ideas and provides feedback/ideas to advance the project forward. If the team were to run into binary solutions, we would split into two and investigate the two solutions in order to gather information for the team to consensually agree on the best solution. 

•   Team Name–What’s a team name that captures who we are and what we’re going to do?
  • PlasTech Venture! The team is utilizing technology to create products out of recycled plastics in order to diverge plastics from the landfill and ocean. The business model that the team is currently developing will provide entrepreneurial opportunities to Filipinos.

Does your work require IRB approvals?

• Yes, our work requires IRB approval. First, the PlasTech Venture activities satisfies IRB’s definition of research. The team is conducting a systematic investigation on recyclable plastics and developing methodologies to diverge the plastic waste from the environment. Information generated from this research will contribute to generalized knowledge because it has the potential to improve the well-being of a community upon implementation. Second, the research does involve human subjects. The team needs to conduct stakeholder interviews to gather information that are crucial to the project, such as determining the needs of FIlipinos and suggestions on the project’s implementation. Even though PlasTech Venture satisfies IRB’s definition of conducting research and involving humans, the project may be qualified from an exception due to minimal risks involving humans.

Mid-Semester Presentation Outline:

• Problem/Opportunity being addressed from macro level
  1. Currently 1,360 tons of plastic are being produced in metro Manila alone every single day. Only 20% of this plastic waste is recycled while the remaining 80% goes into the Philippines environment. As a result, environmental issues that contribute to the well-being of Filipinos are on the rise. For example, 50% of the waterways in the Philippines are contaminated with plastic wastes. 
• Problem/Opportunity being addressed from micro level
  1. The PlasTech Venture team plans on combating the plastic crisis by diverging plastics from the landfill and ocean. In order to achieve this goal, the team is looking to develop value-added products made from recycled plastics. Besides combating the plastic crisis, this approach also gives Nanays (a growing demographic unemployment group) an opportunity to re-enter the workforce and improve their well-being. 
• Explain approach and how proposed solution will work
  1. The team is giving entrepreneurs in the Philippines an economic opportunity to turn plastic waste into low-cost raw material that can be used to manufacture a higher value product for profit. Plastic waste materials will first be collected, cleaned, and scrapped in junk shops. The plastic waste will then be melted and formed into a valuable product to be sold.
• What larger system does the project exist in?
  1. The project exists not only in the recycling system in the Philippines but also globally in other countries.
• Discuss work that has been done so far 
  1. The team has conducted market research in the Philippines to determine the kind of products that will not only sell, but also meet the needs of Filipinos. We came up with our product suite to the following items: tiles/pavers, rain management systems (gutters), and building systems (bricks, posts, etc.). Other research we have gathered:
     1. Material properties/Harmful Effects on Environment (Laura/Ellie): Laura has researched the plastic’s behaviors in different weather conditions, the properties of plastic sachets and their potential to be recycled, and has delved into research regarding impurities and how they could affect our products. Ellie has looked into the potential hazards these products may have if made from plastic rather than the typical, more widely used materials
     2. Composition of waste stream/Junk shop research (Kelly): The team needs to investigate the composition of plastic waste stream in order to determine what types of plastics are available/ in abundance. This information is crucial in determining which plastics certain products will be made out of. We also want to understand more of the junk shop’s role in plastic recycling in the Philippines
     3. Product designs (Susan): Susan has created many sketches of tongue and groove products, dove tail bricks, different cross sections for gutters, many tile designs, and more.
     4. Machinery/processing options (Andy/Ellie): After finalizing the design of our products, the team will need to investigate the process and machinery design needed to manufacture the product. 
• Identify challenges in research and design and plans to address them
  1. One challenge the team faced in research was identifying the metrics the products will have to achieve. In our building material product, for instance, we conducted an investigation on existing building codes in the Philippines to determine the strength requirement of our building block product. The team was surprised to find that there were essentially no building codes in the Philippines. Furthermore, there is no existing information on the compressive strength of recycled plastics. So the team is now facing the challenge of starting from the ground up. Another challenge is identifying appropriate market interest. We managed to generate a product suite solely from our observations and online research on the Philippines. However, there is no way of knowing exactly how acceptable our products are without contacting or conducting a survey on the target customer (residential Filipino).
• What supporting evidence will you provide for each point?- (a lot of supporting evidence is mentioned in the outline).
• How will you boost your credibility every step of the way?
  1. To boost credibility, we will try our best to not look at the slides (as shown in various videos in lecture). Also, we will let each presenter speak about their strong suits and areas of interest in the project (what they know the most about/what they have researched) to be sure a group member is not forced into talking about something they didn’t do a whole lot of research on.

1. List ten things that make you feel human.

• 1- Experiencing failure. All throughout high school, I was a perfectionist and put so much pressure on myself to make sure every assignment and task I completed was flawless. However, I noticed that as humans, we all make mistakes, and I need to accept and learn from the errors that I make.
• 2- Constantly needing to be surrounded by people. The more I am around my family and/or friends, the happier I become. 
• 3- Having unique interests. I have a particular adoration for baseball (specifically, for the New York Yankees), watching Jeopardy, going to the beach, listening to music, and many other things. These make me who I am and make me different from any other person.
• 4- Experiencing emotions. Whether this means laughing uncontrollably at a joke or crying over the loss of a family member, how I assess my experiences emotionally makes me uniquely human. Every person has a different physical reaction to what they see and hear, and although two people may label a certain feeling the same, each person processes their experiences differently in their own body and mind.
• 5- Wanting to make a difference and promote happiness, health, and the ability for people to live the life they want. Not only this, but wanting people to lead more sustainable lives to protect the state of the planet for future generations.
• 6- Feeling awkward around people of high importance. For example, every time I go for a job interview, I always am overwhelmed speaking to a potential employer, and I over-analyze what I am going to say next. I think this nervousness is a common feeling most humans experience at some point of their lives. 
• 7- Being clumsy.  Not a day in my life is complete without losing something, forgetting something, or running into something on accident. This is human nature. 
• 8- Possessing my own opinions and being able to speak and act freely. 
• 9- Getting annoyed by little things. We all get annoyed by different things from time to time. 
• 10- Having needs and wants. Possessing the obvious needs of water, food, and shelter, make us all human, and we are all guilty of wanting unnecessary, material items as well.  

2. Articulate your philosophy of engagement as it pertains to your work with the GSIF. Specifically discuss:

• Why should I engage?

Engagement shares our perspectives and insights with the public – it gives us the ability to inform and inspire people to make a real impact in the world around them. Collaborating with the public allows us all to work together and advance the project forward. This engagement will contribute to our overall objectives of recycling plastic waste into reusable products.

• How must I engage?

I must engage with the most important stakeholders we are dealing with.  We must decide the best format to engage with these stakeholders in order to achieve our objectives and adapt to the methods that best suit our targeted groups to maximize the impact of our research. So far, the best methods of engagement we have seen are using Facebook group messaging, e-mails, and asking people to have meetings with us in their free time.

• With whom must I engage?

We must engage with the most important stakeholders of our venture; as mentioned in my last blog post they are: Filipino junk shop owners and entrepreneurs that see value in trash, unemployed and low income Nanays that live on sachets, and NGOs.

• What kinds of challenges, opportunities, and approaches should I care about?

• We should care about whether or not there is a market for the products we are aiming to make 
  • Would people find housing materials made of plastic useful/willing to try them?
  • Is there a cement/cinder block alternative to these products we can replicate with using recycled plastics?
  • Do poor neighborhoods have problems with water availability? / Where do they get their water?
  • Do poor neighborhoods have problems finding building materials? / Where do they get their building materials?
• We should look into the levels of motivation people have in the Philippines to actually fix these problems (We can build the machine and the various product suites, but it’s not going to work if they do not want to take the initiative themselves)
• Opportunities: getting to meet stakeholders and understand their needs, testing products, teaching people about what we have done thus far, hearing feedback, and thus being able to readjust our project’s objectives and focus
• Approaches: hands-on experience with diagrams teaching people how our machine works, community meetings, focus groups, surveys, online engagement

• What might my epitaph read?

My favorite quote by Martin Luther King: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Here, he says that character/strength are best shown when someone faces a challenge – the challenge we are facing with our GSIF project is the global plastic waste problem, and we hope to fundamentally change how the world views recycling.

1. Based on your life experience, skills and interests, what would a design process that is both uniquely yours and effective look like?

-Collectively as a group, the Plastech team strives to focus on sustainability and empower others to reduce environmental damage. We all have different skills, but come together to execute our shared goal. Our design process thus far is:

Define the problem that is causing the situation: The Philippines has an extreme plastic waste problem – the country as a whole generates 2.7 million tonnes of plastic waste annually and 20 percent of that leaks into the oceans. Not only this, but out of 105 million Filipinos, nearly seven million rely on unsafe and unsustainable water sources.

Identify constraints: Some constraints would be a lack of knowledge on elements of the culture/market of the Philippines and whether or not people in this country would find a use for our potential product line; additionally we may be constrained if we have to convince people that there is a need for this product and a need to recycle items to make new items. Also, we don’t know if we will be able to scale any of our products up yet. We also need to look into the constraints of the machines we will use, and their capabilities regarding making items we want to produce.

Brainstorm multiple solutions: Our main objective is to transform waste into assets; thus, we want to take the large amount of plastic waste in the Philippines and turn it into something people can use again. We wanted to start to focus on structural building materials, but came up with the following list in our brainstorming session: brick, beams, fence/fencing slats, fence post, shingles, ceiling tiles, floor tiles, windows, doors, plumbing pipes, insulation, valves, traffic cones, countertops, wire coating, filters for furnace/AC units, gutters, latters, drywall, bathtubs/toilets, gravel, fishing nets, roof plates/siding, planters, gardening tools, brackets, pothole fillers, billboard posts, table stand, shelving/storage, bed frame, light shade, and umbrellas.

Select the most promising solution: The PlasTech team decided to focus on producing five main items: gutters and rain barrels (to simultaneously combat the issue of plastic and poor water quality), bricks, decorative tiles, and paving usages.

Develop a prototype to your solution: We plan on prototyping each of these machines first, and seeing which items can be produced using which machines.

Test/Evaluate Prototype: We plan on testing how strong and durable our products are (especially the bricks that plan on being used as construction materials). We also plan on testing how impurities (ex: bottle caps) may affect the strength of our products.

Iterate to improve prototype: We will continuously test our machines and the products they will produce, and make improvements to enhance the quality of our products until they are durable and ready to be sold to consumers.

Communicate your solution: We want to communicate our solution to junk shops; since they are already the middleman and sell the plastics that scavengers find, we want to try and have them use the machine to create recycled products and sell them as well for people to purchase.

2. Identify your three most important stakeholders and list five UNIQUE attributes for each one of them.

• Entrepreneurs/Junk Shops
  Demographics: Filipino, small business owners
  Socio-Economics: Lower class, low income
  Geographic: Philippines, rainy and windy climates, 1.78 million people in Manila
  Psychological Variable: Sees value in trash
  Behavioral: Dumpster diving and buys trash from people
• Nanays
  Demographics: Middle-age married Filipino
  Socio-Economic: Unemployed low income class
  Geographic: Philippines, rainy and windy climates, 1.78 million people in Manila
  Psychological Variables: Middle-age women who have fulfilled their parental roles and are seeking employment to improve quality of life
  Behavioral: Lives on sachets due to low income
• NGOs
  Demographics: Filipinos of all occupations
  Socio-Economic: People from all classes and income level
  Geographic: Philippines, rainy and windy climates, 1.78 million people in Manila
  Psychological Variables: Banding together in pursuit of achieving a common goal such as deviating plastic from the environment
  Behavioral: Reducing plastic usage in day-to-day life

3. Identify three ways in which you will validate your project concept, technology, usability, and business model.

• Conduct experimentation to determine the allowable contamination level in recycled plastics for building blocks
• Determine whether or not the junk shop business and market are willing to invest in our injection molding machinery for the production of recycled plastic products through research
• Create prototypes of building blocks designs to test whether they are secure, and sturdy. Utilizes plastic’s flexible properties.

4. Give three examples of something very interesting you learned from a friend that was a completely alien concept to you.

• Have you ever thought about where trees get their mass from? I never really thought about it either, until watching one of Mark Rober’s YouTube videos (he isn’t my personal friend, but I love his YouTube videos). From one video I learned: it comes from thin air. The tree sees a carbon dioxide molecule moving by and uses energy from the sun to take the carbon out of the air and it uses the carbon to grow in size. I never knew this concept previously, and it is pretty cool.
• My roommate is a psychology major and is enrolled in the class called Adulthood and Aging. She told me that in class she learned that the dependency ratio of workers/non-workers for Social Security in 1945 was 35/1, but by 2030 it is predicted to be 2/1. I knew the concept behind social security, but I never noticed how much this concept could change over time and thus influence me in the future as I get older.
• My friend is a mathematics major and said that in China, they count differently: for the number 75, you need to say that you have 7 tens first. 7 tens is how 70 is represented. Once you have the tens place in Chinese, you can finish writing the number with the character for 5. I thought this was interesting to see the concept behind how they count in China compared to how we count.