Slide Deck

I believe I was put on this earth to…

I believe I was put on earth in order to experience life. 

 

My purpose is to…

My purpose is to experience life and be kind when possible. 

 

I believe (my core values)…

My core values are to work hard, spread positivity and to be as empathetic as possible.  

 

The one thing I must do before I die is…

The one thing I must do before I die is connect with others and form positive relationships. I also want to find a career that I feel productive and useful. 

 

My advocates and supporters all believe that I…

My supporters believe that I am hardworking and am very competitive. 

 

The evil I want to eradicate in this world is…

One evil in the world that would be interested in eradicating animal cruelty. This is something that I am passionate about and would be interested in wrong towards in the future. 

 

I want to work in order to…

I want to work in order to be more at peace. 

 

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…

I always try to choose the option that causes the least amount of harm to others. 

 

I never…

I never purposely make a decision that would cause direct harm to someone else. I have to do this sometimes but I try to do as little as possible. 

 

My work style is…

My work style is to get focused on my goals and work towards them. 

 

I try to treat people…

I try to treat people with as much empathy as possible. 

 

I approach problems by…

I approach problems by thinking as much as possible about them. I think I could benefit from thinking a little bit less about issues.

 

Victories are time to…

Technically everything could be a victory if you are able to learn something from it. 

 

If someone attacks my point of view I…

If someone attacks my point of view I usually won’t say anything about it unless I’m really close with them.

 

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

If I fundamentally do not agree with what an organization or person is doing, I will not typically get associated with them. 

 

Your Credibility – Your Whats 

You have spent some considerable time at Lehigh, and specifically in the Impact Fellowships, 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	Bioengineering, GSIF
Research Experiences	AgriWrap lab work: Got time to practice performing experiments, recording, and sharing results
Inventions and Innovations	LUSI Mars Rover (Device that takes up sol sample and can determine if life is habitable there)
(Social) Entrepreneurial Ventures	AgriWrap Venture: Got experience networking, forming partnerships, and writing research paper
Publications (Formal and Informal)	Plastic use by street vendors (Not finished yet)
Formal Presentations (at Lehigh and Beyond)	End of semester AgriWrap presentation; Presentations in the Philippines
Awards and  External Recognition	No awards yet

 

Articulating and learning from IF-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)	While we were performing fieldwork during the summer it was difficult because we did not have a specific direction for our project. It was a challenge but by working together as a team we were able to find ways to make our time in the Philippines productive. From this I learned that sometimes it is more difficult actually just getting a project started and things are more smooth sailing once you get over this hurdle.
Conflict Resolution Experience (and Lessons Learned)	We experienced conflict in our team about the extent to which we wanted to interview street vendors. Some members thought that it would be better to perform in-depth interviews for a few vendors while others thought it would be more productive to just observe many vendors. We decided to create a short list of questions to ask each vendor.
Leadership Experience (and Lessons Learned)	During the first semester all members of the group had one meeting that they would run. When it was my turn to run a meeting I had to create a plan and then guide the conversation during the meeting to make sure we covered everything important. From this I learned the importance of planning ahead and being prepared for meetings.
Dealing with Chaos, Ambiguity, and Uncertainty (and Lessons Learned)	We were supposed to have a meeting with one of the manufacturers we spoke with but then at the last minute were not able to meet there because Grabs (Uber equivalent) did not run in the area the meeting was supposed to be in. Last minute we needed to find a way to be productive with our time. From this I learned the importance of staying flexible in ambiguous situations.
Personally Challenging Experience (and Lessons Learned)	A time that I was outside of my comfort zone was while we spoke with street vendors to better understand the products that they sell and the packaging associated with it. I am a more reserved person so starting up conversations with strangers was definitely outside of my comfort zone. Still by putting myself out there we were able to collect a lot of useful information.
Cross-cultural Experience (and Lessons Learned)	When we spoke to street vendors some did not speak English very much. We needed to figure out how to navigate this situation and still effectively communicate. From this I learned the importance of patience. The conversations took longer but we were still able to get the information we needed.
An experience that helped you connect your IF work to your discipline / major.	We were able to perform lab work last semester to get a better basic understanding of how plastics are created. Since my major is bioengineering it was interesting to see how I can apply what I am learning in class to work that has the potential to make a positive impact.
A moment that boosted your sense of agency and self-efficacy – you felt like you could speak for yourself, get stuff done, take on the world and make it better.	While in the Philippines we presented our project to a group of other startup owners. Afterwards we got a lot of good feedback and recommendations for our project. Additionally after the presentations we spoke with other groups and found one that is very relevant to our project. We ended up connecting and meeting up with them later to discuss how our projects could collaborate. It was nice to see that by sharing our project we were able to form a new partnership.
A moment where you felt like you were making the future – like you were creating something that had never before existed and would (or could) influence your future and that of others.	We met a group called AlgoPlast that creates bioplastic pellets out of seaweed. It was motivating to see how far their project progressed because it seems like they started out in a similar place to our project. Their initial goal was to tackle the plastic pollution issue. They then realize that the main cost driving up bioplastic costs was that materials needed to be imported from other countries. They then focused on creating bioplastic pellets that could be locally sourced. This is a similar path that our project is currently on so it is motivating to see how successful they were.
A moment where you felt like you truly have a strong sense of purpose and belonging in this dynamic, globalized, interdependent world.	We are currently writing a paper on street vendors’ use of plastic in the Philippines. I am excited that we are writing a paper on a specific topic that has not been written about yet. I hope that this paper will be able to help other research groups collect information that are studying similar topics.

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.

Coalition Slides

The annotations are in the speaker notes.

Identify the 10 toughest questions from the 14-page list for your project, and answer them in advance of your presentations.

• Managing costs at steady state- all financial questions are especially tough because we have not delved deeply into our financial model. We believe it is better to focus on how our project will work long term now and focus on how it can sustain itself later, once we have a primary model set up.
• Who might lose something or be harmed due to the venture? – As with most ventures, our competitors will be harmed in our venture once people prefer our products above our competitors’. 
• Are you disadvantaging certain populations and further marginalizing them? – We may be excluding populations who cannot opt for our product due to price, however this doesn’t necessarily marginalize them further.
• What are possible failure modes of your project? – The biggest failure mode of our project is based on the fact that a new team takes the project annually, and if new people have a very different idea of the project then this could lead to possible conflict.
•  What kind of full-time staffing will you need? – This question relies heavily on our dependence on our partners. However, it is certain that we will need manufacturers, people to distribute raw and finalized materials, and perhaps a marketing team as well. 
• What political and legal issues are relevant to the operation of your business? – There are strict laws and regulations when it comes to manufacturing goods that will be used by the people, especially when it is packaging that comes in contact with food. We will need to make sure that the packaging passes all of the food and chemical safety regulations in the Philippines. We will also need to comply with labor laws if we hire employees. 
• What specific insights do you have about your customers’ needs and behaviors? – From fieldwork we observed that the main priority of our customers is cost. This is the main factor that goes into their decision of purchasing food packaging. We saw that higher end companies were able to opt for higher quality or more environmentally friendly packaging, while those without that same flexibility often opted for the most cost efficient option available. 
• What are your biggest gaps in your understanding of your customers / stakeholders? – The biggest gap in understanding that would be helpful to the venture is knowing the specific price that a few vendors and companies would be willing to pay for the more expensive biodegradable packaging. 
• What are the environmental constraints (temperature, humidity, sunlight) that limit product functionality? – We know that when liquids are put in contact with bioplastics, it damages their structural integrity. We will have to do more tests to determine the specific temperatures and conditions that start to break down bioplastics. 
• If there is one metric that indicates success, what is it? – One metric that will indicate success for our project is when we are able to make our first sale. The only issue with this metric is that we are currently just in the research phase, so it is a long way until we will be ready to sell a product. 

 

Write 3 elevator speeches about your project. Identify three different stakeholder groups and craft a different speech for each one. Use the “12-floor” (1-1.5 minute) format.

 

Stakeholder:

 

1. Potential Investor:

Did you know that on average 60,000 tons of waste is produced annually in the Philippines, and 30-40% of this accounts for plastic waste. The use of plastic is a pressing issue because of its environmental and health implications. AgriWrap is working to tackle this issue. Our team is currently working with other manufacturers in the Philippines to produce bioplastics. We are looking to collaborate with Algoplast who has developed bioplastic pellets out of algae for cheaper than traditional bioplastic pellets. We are also in partnership with Sachi Group who produces compostable packaging out of bioplastic pellets. The high cost of bioplastics is deterring customers. Sachi Group said that the most expensive part of production is importing bioplastic pellets from Indonisia. If Sachi Group is able to directly source bioplastic pellets from Algoplast in the Philippines, then they will be able to significantly drive down their prices. It will be much easier to sell compostable packaging when it is more comparable in price to traditional plastic and is friendlier to the environment. 

 

1. Environmental NGOs (ex- Greenpeace Philippines)

Plastic waste is choking ecosystems across the Philippines, with over 20,000 tons generated annually. AgriWrap is tackling this crisis by developing affordable, biodegradable packaging through partnerships with local innovators. SACHI-Group produces compostable packaging, but high costs make it challenging to market. Meanwhile, AlgoPlast is advancing a low-cost, durable film made from seaweed-based polymers. By combining AlgoPlast’s innovative materials with SACHI-Group’s manufacturing capabilities, we can drive sustainable impact in the Philippines.

With the support of NGOs, we can amplify our mission through advocacy, increased visibility, and joint community projects. Together, we can empower businesses to choose sustainable solutions, educate consumers on the benefits of eco-friendly packaging, and make a lasting environmental impact.

1. Restaurant

Plastic packaging waste continues to accumulate in landfills and oceans, causing harm to ecosystems and public health. AgriWrap is addressing this by creating biodegradable, affordable packaging options through partnerships with local manufacturers. In the Philippines, we’re working with AlgoPlast, which produces algae-based bioplastic pellets that are more price comparable to regular plastics, and SACHI-Group, which transforms these pellets into compostable packaging. By using locally sourced materials, our solution not only reduces costs but also ensures a reliable supply chain. We’re helping restaurants switch to eco-friendly packaging that’s competitive in price and accessible, enabling them to serve customers while also reducing their environmental footprint. 

Here is the link to the updated slide show.

Part 1:

1. Go back through your presentation, the Q&A, and feedback received and come up with a list of TEN takeaways / lessons learned / things to do differently next time. 
   1. Try to answer questions more directly
   2. There were times when 3 people on our team answered 1 question which was an overkill, have 1-2 people answer it well and move on
   3. Use 7 minutes wisely by defining the problem well and clearly stating what we did during fieldwork
   4. Know everything we put on our slides because that is what the referees will base their questions on.
   5. Good eye contact, hand movements, and maybe some pacing while presenting. We are not just reading off of a script, we are talking about a project we are passionate about.
   6. We should explain manufacturing a bit more as well
   7. We all should try answering more questions 
   8. Stronger outline for future plans
   9. Have a better closing statement that can stick
   10. We should sound more excited as we present, since this is our own project that we are all passionate about.

 

1. From the other presentations in your room, list FIVE things that other teams did well that you could learn from.
   1. We should be more lively as we present
   2. Some teams were able to cite sources off the top of their head so having a few numbers we memorize is helpful
   3. We have to solidify what our future plans are, what we need to get there, and what the biggest obstacles are to get there. 
   4. Other teams have much more developed cost analytical slides
   5. Some teams answered questions much more clearly than we did which is something we must improve upon.

Part 2: Coalition Slides

5 potential partnerships:

1. EcoNest
   1. Team 
2. Oikos
   1. Team
3. AlgoPlast
   1. Team
4. Jonathan Co
   1. Individual
5. Joy of Urban Farming
   1. Team

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 Oikos: 

1. What constituted the partnership? 
   1. Oikos was a previous connection, however, not much information was passed down from the previous team about the depth of this collaboration. However we re-contacted them for more information and with plans of a future partnership.
2. How did the partner help you? How did you help them?
   1. While in contact with them, they provided us more information on the current market of biodegradable, sustainable packaging within the Philippines.
3. Was this a symbiotic relationship? Why or why not?
   1. At its current stage, it feels like a symbiotic relationship, but we hope to develop a stronger partnership with them in the future.
4. What would help strengthen this partnership and make it more equitable?
   1. If we had a product that is easily manufactured within the Philippines based on Filipino agricultural waste, then it would solidify a partnership with them.

 

For AlgoPlast: 

1. What constituted the partnership? 
   1. While we were in the Philippines through UPD we saw a post that showed a research team at UPD and what they did. We saw what they were doing was very similar to what we do so we got in contact with them.
2.  How did the partner help you? How did you help them? 
   1. They will hopefully tell us more details about their lab process. We can help them form connections with US organizations if possible however we do not have as much leverage or funding in this deal so we have less to offer.
3.  Was this a symbiotic relationship? Why or why not? 
   1. No this is not because we give much less than what we hope to receive.
4. What would help strengthen this partnership and make it more equitable?
   1. This partnership can be further strengthened if we connect this research team to an organization in the US. We can also learn how their lab process can be scaled up to an industrial process, and hopefully help them in this process. Being helpful to them and keeping in contact with them (more communication outside of fieldwork)  is the best thing we can do for a strong partnership.

 

For Joy of Urban Farming:

1) What constituted the partnership? 

1. Joy of Urban farming works with recycling food waste. We are interested in turning bio waste into bioplastics. Joy of Urban works with local farmers, so we hope that they can put us in contact with some of the farmers. 

2) How did the partner help you? How did you help them? 

1. We hope that Joy of Urban farming can introduce us to local farmers. We will help them by providing a source that they can sell their extra agricultural waste. We also looked into whether they could supply us with banana leaves. 

3) Was this a symbiotic relationship? Why or why not? 

1. This is a symbiotic relationship because we would get agricultural waste, and the farmers would get extra funding. 

4) What would help strengthen this partnership and make it more equitable?

1. This partnership would be stronger if the farmers were interested in the process of turning agricultural waste to bioplastics. They could potentially start the process of preparing the agricultural waste, or help with transportation to a manufacturer.  

 

For Jonathan Co: 

1. What constituted the partnership? 
   1. Jonathan Co is a partner with many of Lehigh’s Philippines teams so we knew him from the Creative Inquiry Program
2. How did the partner help you? How did you help them? 
   1. We do not have a partnership with Jonathan Co yet however he works a lot in plastic and waste management. If we make a partnership with it may be to try and develop a system in which people can recycle bioplastics in a way that can be then upcycled.
3. Was this a symbiotic relationship? Why or why not? 
   1. Since his company Sentinel Upcycling has a primary goal of upcycling and actually loses money, this is symbiotic because his company’s values are upheld.
4. What would help strengthen this partnership and make it more equitable?
   1. Communication would strengthen this partnership more

 

For EcoNest

For each partnership, explain: 

1. What constituted the partnership? 
   1. EcoNest was another previous contact from the previous team, no full relationship was built with them however.
2. How did the partner help you? How did you help them? 
   1. Nikki from EcoNest helped us with more insight into the market of biodegradable packaging, as well as the issues her company faced. She recommended that we look into locally sourcing materials in order to limit cost. Additionally, she asked if we could look into grants that are available.
      
3. Was this a symbiotic relationship? Why or why not? 
   1. This is a symbiotic relationship because we both win in this partnership. As of now, we have learned more about the biodegradable market in the Philippines through EcoNest which is valuable information to us. For them, we plan to apply to some US grants which they can use in the Philippines to help them scale up further in their market.  
4. What would help strengthen this partnership and make it more equitable?
   1. We have not spoken with EcoNest as much as we would have liked to since the summer, so sending an email to them once a month on just updates would be very helpful. 

 

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
   1. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)- We can work with the EPR law in place in the Philippines, and as more sustainable alternatives are in the market, the more that consumers will be willing to pay for it.
   2. United Nations Environment Programm (UNEP)- we can partner with the UNEP to raise awareness on the use of sustainable materials globally, especially regions with high plastic pollution. 
2. Government
   1. Joy of Urban Farming – We will collaborate with them by buying agricultural waste from the farmers connected to this program.
   2. LGUs – we will learn what plastic bans are already in place, and hopefully work with them to make stricter sustainable laws
3. Non-Profit 
   1. GreenSpace Philippines 
   2. The Plastic Bank-an NGO that promotes ethical recycling systems in the Philippines. We can work with them and see how they can be further implemented in the Philippines, because they currently are, however the recycling system in the Philippines is flawed. 
4. Foundations 
   1.  Mother Earth Foundation Philippines- Several projects working towards sustainability, including waste cleanups and education campaigns
   2.  Ellen MacArthur Foundation- Works towards eliminating waste through design and innovation, ex. Biodegradable packaging.
5. Academia
   1. We can partner with a research team, specifically AlgoPlast in the Philippines, because they are working on a very similar project. We can learn from their lab process and what exactly they do in this field, as well as their biggest obstacles and how we can help.
   2. We work with the HEED students to help with getting work done in the Philippines while we are not there
6. Social Venture 
   1. Econest, we will work with them to manufacture bio plastics further. Their biggest issue is pricing because they important their products currently. 
   2. Oikos, another manufacturing company for biodegradable products
7. Think Tank 
   1.  The Philippines Institute for Development Studies (PIDS)-  which is the Philippine government’s main socio economic think tank. They influence policies by the government in the Philippines, so if we can push for stricter plastic bans in parts of the Philippines. 
   2. Net Zero Carbon Alliance (NZCA)- A private sector consortium that works with Philippine businesses to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and shift to renewable energy. The NZCA’s goal is to help the Philippines achieve net zero emissions by 2050. 
8. K-12 System
   1. We can work with local grade schools in the Philippines to educate the youth on plastic waste. Educating the youth on this issue can help instill a generation that is more aware of what they buy and how they dispose of their waste. 
   2. We can also work with local grade schools by engaging with teachers and administrators. Through this we hope to have them incorporate lessons on sustainable practices into their curriculum.
9. Corporation
   1. Jollibee Sustainability Division – we hope to learn more about how they implement sustainable practices 
   2. Coca-Cola Philippines – this is a large corporation that produces a lot of waste, so it would be helpful to see what sustainable practices they are willing to implement 
10. Consulting Firms
    1. PCX Markets- A fully transparent plastic credit marketplace for audited, traceable plastic waste recovery and responsible processing worldwide. 
    2. Ajinomoto- Collaborating with Ajinomoto can involve consulting on the development of biodegradable packaging solutions as well as learning from their food preservation experience and how we can create packaging with a decent self life that remains eco-friendly.
11. Startup
    1. Vincent’s Broken Rice Project – We could collaborate with Vincent because his social venture works to help get farmers loans. We could work with these farmers and potentially buy the broken rice from them.
    2. The Plastic Flamingo- a group of recyclers that turns plastic waste into building materials. If we can develop a better recycling system in which they receive more materials for their venture, which is mutually beneficial for both of our ventures, then we can solve our issue better.

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

Facts:

• High street crime that is not addressed by current social infrastructure
• Successful venture that supports and transforms much of the at-risk youth through a professional and social camp contextualized with soccer
• Capacity increased largely and received great funding from various organizations and donors
• Spikey, a major company, transformed the venture with money but also turned it into a more competitive, sports-based initiative rather than a professional and social building program

Part1:

• Spikey is employing children under two of the manufacturers in Cambodia that are going against the values of SYE-T. One of the manufacturers follows proper child labor regulations.
• The improper contracts to children through the manufacturers go against the motto of the Soccer foundation. 
• Spikey is hiding the child labor issues and wants to give more sponsorship to the program. 
• Ugochi is concerned about the conflicting actions and also the loss of emphasis on personal development

Part 2:

• Mikey, the head of Corporate Social Responsibility denies issues of child labor in Cambodia
• Mikey proposes a new focus for the SYE-T. 
• Mikey wants to change the program’s audience to adult men and eliminate women, besides the potential for women to be cheerleaders. 
• Ugochi does not like the new suggestions Mikey makes.
• Mikey threatens to remove all support from the program. 
• Ugochi is concerned about losing support from Spikey since it funds 80% of its program, which would result in a huge loss of participants, programs, etc. 

 

Ethical Issue: Accept or reject the sponsorship of Spikey while ensuring that the moral pillars and initiatives of the venture are maintained (largely the community, leadership, professional development, etc. over the competitive aspect) and reaching the largest quantity of people in an impactful manner.

 

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

• Ugochi Wilson
• Mr. Mikey & Spikey
• Vulnerable youth in US
• Children in Cambodia 
• The 20% other funders
• Local Businesses

 

Step 3: Assess the motivations of the Stakeholders

• Ugochi Wilson: founder of SYE-T, concerned about labor practices at Spikey and their vision for the SYE-T but may lose them as a sponsor
• Mr. Mikey & Spikey: Want to continue to partner with SYE-T so that they will gain publicity, and increase their sales, positive look for the company
• Vulnerable youth: Want the program to continue so they can participate in the soccer tournament and professional development events
• Children in Cambodia – Work in factory producing Spikey’s shoes and are at risk of unemployment
• The 20% other funders – Want to support the program, and have their money go to a good cause, good face
• Local Businesses – pipeline for hiring people, also looks great for the companies in being supporters of people in such situations

 

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

Part 1: 

Blackmail Spikey by threatening to expose their malpractices and force the company to change their manufacturing overseas.

• Pros:
  • Ugochi advocates for social justice and just child labor laws. 
  • Making a difference in offshoring practices. 
  • Driving your initial motivation to completion within a multibillion dollar company
• Cons:
  • Could be a lost cause fighting with a multi-billion dollar company, which has funding for lawyers and support.
  • There is a high probability that Spike will withdraw their sponsorship after such a dispute.
  • The smaller SEY-T has less of a name for support than Spikey. 
• Ethical Principle: Justice  

 

Accept the funding but add your own strings with Spikey. If they want the publicity as a sponsor or donor, they should change their practices instead of hiding it and the program should shift back towards professional development. Mention tax write offs perhaps.

• Pros:
  • As the implementing partner, you are expressing your voice in the program, ensuring that you have a higher say in the implementation of the initiatives. 
  • Put Spikey in their place as a donor, not an owner. 
  • Still receive funding. 
  • If Spikey withdraws money then they look inconsiderate and bad for withdrawing from supporting a good cause. (but not taking the money doesn’t benefit anyone so why wouldn’t you)
• Cons:
  • Tricky and must avoid the legal blunders.
  • If this doesn’t work, may lose lots of funding. However, the return to professional development will definitely occur after the initiative downsizing
• Ethical Principle: Justice, Beneficence, complete clarity to consumers, realignment of ethical motives (drop crime rates and offer supportive programs to children and young adults)

 

End the contract with Spikey, and look for other sources of funding.

• Pros:
  • The program will not be associated with unfair labor laws
  • Will put more of a focus on community support and engagement again
• Cons:
  • Likely will not be able to find as much funding from another source or it will take a very long time
  • Many companies will have some ethically questionable practices, so they might not even be able to find a different fully ethical company to replace funding
  • May never have the same amount of resources as before. 
• Ethical Principle: Justice

 

Expose Spikey for their unfair labor practices to the media.

• Pros: 
  • Bring light to the Cambodia issue 
  • Make people aware of the poor working conditions
  • May force their hand into improving work conditions
• Cons:
  • Lose the funding.
  • May not make an impact.
  • Spikey may retaliate and it could have a negative impact on your program.
  • If it does make an impact and Spikey ends its child labor, children may not be able to provide for their families and may perpetuate their poverty. 
• Ethical Principle: 
  • Does not support unequal practices

 

Part 2:

Accept Mr. Mikey’s terms and keep Spikey as a sponsor.

• Pros:
  • SYE-T keeps their funding
  • SYE-T most likely continues to grow and have more players (only men though)
• Cons:
  • Ugochi and SYE-T remain complicit to Spikey’s poor labor practices abroad
  • Women are excluded from participating in the program
  • Focus of SYE-T moves from serving vulnerable youth to being a competition between men above the age of 18
  • The program does not maintain its original ideals and falls 
• Ethical Principle: Very unethical towards justice and equal opportunity

 

Don’t accept Mr. Mikey’s terms and lose Spikey as a sponsor in accordance with what you decide is most important at the meeting. Maintain your ethics and motivations regardless of Spikey. Possibly look for alternative funding prior to that as well. 

• Pros:
  • Creates the opportunity to look for more ethical sources of funding
  • The program will no longer be associated with questionable companies
  • More sponsors would likely step in
  • Men and women are able to play
  • Realigned to ethical motives in the first place
• Cons:
  • SYE-T loses 80% of its funding and will have to scale down operations
  • SYE-T would lose lots of publicity, advertising, and outreach
  • SYE-T’s soccer players would possibly lose access to equipment, affecting them greatly
• Ethical Principle: Justice

 

Expose Mr. Mikey and Spikey to mass media while maintaining the original idea of the program

• Pros:
  • Spikey’s reputation damaged even more
  • Possibility of receiving other sponsorships with the publicity with more aligned motives/goals
  • Maintain YOUR ethical pillars and prompt Spikey competitors to step in to fulfill your funding needs
  • More sponsors would likely step in
  • Men and women are able to play
  • Realigned to ethical motives in the first place
• Cons:
  • Spikey has a team of lawyers and you get sued
  • Spikey probably won’t fund the program after that
  • Other companies may not be inclined to sponsor your program after outing a longtime sponsor
  • Other donors may not want to get involved with a company that has an ongoing scandal 
• Ethical Principle: Justice

 

Show the impact of SYE-T to Spikey to maintain their sponsorship and have them accept certain terms because it can help improve their optics after their controversy

• Pros:
  • SYE-T maintains funding while keeping its values/vision
  • Spikey receives good press amid their controversy
  • May convince Spikey to better their labor practices abroad
• Cons:
  • Difficult to convince a multibillion-dollar company like Spikey
• Ethical Principle: Beneficence 

 

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

• Similar nonprofits
• New sources of ethical funding
• Lawyers in case the team gets sued
• Child labor laws in multiple countries
• The Greenhouse Scenario 
• Realignment of overall morals and motivations

 

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 solution in part A and part B is to continue accepting money from Spikey. In part A, if you decline the money you will be losing the majority of the program’s funding and will need to scale back drastically. And by doing this you are not helping the workers in Cambodia at all. Just because you refuse funding from Spikey, it is unlikely that Spikey will end their manufacturing agreements in Cambodia. The net outcome if you do not accept the money will be that the soccer program cannot make as much impact, and the children in Cambodia remain in the same situation. The same goes for the issue in Part B. I would suggest that you set ground rules of things you are not willing to change such as that women will still be allowed to participate in the program, and offer to make both an 18+ and 18 under league. There is a chance that Spikey will not accept these conditions, but in that circumstance you can just scale back the program and rebuild it up with local donors that are more in line with the initiative’s goals. If Spikey does accept the conditions that is great because you then have the capital to make an impact, which is one of the major hurdles in a program like this. The one downside of this plan is that the program will now be associated with Spikeys corrupt morals. I feel like accepting the funding is still worth it because if you do not accept the money then Spikey will just keep it for themselves or donate it somewhere else. The soccer program is aiming to create a positive impact on people’s lives, so they are justified to accept the money. Accepting the money is better than the proposed solution in class to expose Spikey for their wrongdoings. By doing this, Spikey will definitely withdraw their funding. Additionally, it may be more difficult to get other donors because some may be hesitant to get involved with a program that just dealt with such a major scandal. 

 

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 – This project is not technology heavy. Accepting or declining the money will have no impact on technology.

 

Economic – Financially speaking the best thing to do is to accept the money because otherwise the program would lose 80% of their funding. This would drastically affect the growth of the project, causing them to substantially scale down.

 

Social – This solution has some negative social ramifications because they will be associated with a company that supports unfair labor practices, and is not very interested in the social impact side of the project. The flip side of this is that while accepting the money associates you with corrupt practices, you will then have the financial capital available to make more of an impact on the youth of Philadelphia

 

Environmental – The only environmental impact of this solution revolves around the material use and gasses emitted during the professional development soccer programs.

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

Facts 

• Growth of ~35% of the children is stunted due to poor nutrition. This is because the primary dish in their diet only contains maize and bananas. 
• A traditional gruel is made to complement breastfeeding starting at ~2 months until they are ~24 months. 
• HIV/AIDS is prevalent in the area
  • The longer a mother with HIV/AIDS breastfeeds, the greater the chance the virus will get transmitted to the baby. This means that the babies have a high risk of being infected with HIV if they are breastfed for an extended period of time. 
• Women’s cooperative is marketing a new nutritious porridge made from locally grown produce. 
  • Used to wean babies off breast milk when they are 6 months old. This is intended to prevent risks of HIV development in children while providing nutrition. 
• Pesticides are used on all of the crops.
• Genetic modification or impediments as a result of pesticides. 
• HIV tests are not easily accessible but can get access at a cost

 

Ethical Issue

• The women need to breastfeed due to the limited accessibility to nutrients and the expense of food. However, children are threatened by HIV and the unknown yet high rate of its existence and transmission. 
• Men are taking the money the women earn and not using it for the children’s food; It would be difficult and maybe not ethical to try to change a cultural norm.
• The locals are skeptical of the porridge.
• Pesticides are utilized on all crops yet continuously included as dietary supplements for infants.
• The donor wanted to improve rural life at home in addition to nutritional status but was inhibited by social structures and cultural norms where men take money and do whatever.
• Women are upset but they feel as though they can’t do anything about it.

 

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

• Donors who gave the grant
• Children of East Africa
• Mothers
• Fathers
• Farmers 
• Committee Members

 

Step 3: Assess the motivations of the Stakeholders

• Donors who gave the grant: Want to improve nutrition for children in East Africa and limit the spread of HIV, improve the rural family scene.
• Children of East Africa: Need improved nutrition.
• Mothers: Need money to provide for their families, improve the nutrition in their children, and build a strong community.
• Fathers: Receive the money that the women earn
• Farmers: Want to make money by selling more crops for this new porridge and continue using pesticides. 
• Committee Members: Want the program to be successful, and eventually improve nutrition for children

 

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

Part 1:

1. Partner with local farmers not using chemical pesticides to boost their business and provide educational programs surrounding HIV, malnutrition, and pesticide usage for the communities. 
   1. Pros:
      1. Benefit local farmers, and helps them make money
      2. Educates the communities
      3. Champions community engagement with the problems at hand
   2. Cons:
      1. There would be an issue if all the crops died because of not using pesticides 
      2. Prices could rise drastically
   3. Ethical Principle: 
      1. This solution would put farmers who do no use pesticides out of business
      2. This solution also does not address the issue that men are spending the money frivolously 
2. Instead of a new dish, develop a supplement that can be added to the traditional gruel mothers make.
   1. Pros:
      1. Babies can get the nutrients they need
      2. Not changing tradition by trying to replace the gruel with a manufactured porridge
   2. Cons:
      1. Locals may still be skeptical of the supplement
      2. Cost may be an issue as supplements may need additional packaging or manufacturing
   3. Ethical Principle: 
      1. This solution does not interfere with cultural norms
      2. It does not address the issue that women do not like how their husbands are spending their money 
3. Provide HIV/AIDS testing kits for the families
   1. Pros:
      1. Mothers would know for sure if they would be able to breastfeed their baby for a prolonged period
   2. Cons:
      1. Cost and feasibility of distribution
      2. HIV/AIDS diagnoses is a private matter and outsiders should not involve themselves in this
      3. Stigma for HIV/AIDS-positive individuals?
   3. Ethical Principle: 
      1. May cause issues if an individual tests positive because of stigmas

 

Part 2: Needs us to engage the men in some way.

• Partner with local businesses so that instead of receiving only money, the women receive a voucher and salary that can only be used for certain goods and services (or they can choose). 

1. 1. 1. Pros: 
         1. Women retain money.
         2. Local businesses are supported through the program
         3. Children can receive the intended nutritional benefits.
      2. Cons: 
         1. Husbands get mad due to the decreased control of income for their activities. If the husbands find out there is a choice between salary and vouchers they may force the wives to get salary and this would not solve any problems.
         2. Vouchers can’t be used for everything.
         3. Requires large-scale involvement for long-term success 
      3. Ethical Principle: Beneficence, Justice

• Subsidize jobs/recruit for the husbands so they also can earn their own money

1. 1. 1. Pros:
         1. The men get extra money they can spend on frivolous things
         2. The women have a greater likelihood of being able to keep their money
      2. Cons:
         1. May be viewed negatively by the husbands
         2. They may also still want to keep their wives money
      3. Ethical Principle: Beneficence

• Introduce requirements for this cooperative job: such as children attending schools, visiting health clinics, and passing malnutrition tests.

1. 1. 1. Pros:
         1. This hopefully ensures that the children have a better life and nutrition
      2. Cons:
         1. Very stringent requirements for employment. The women may feel discouraged from working there or the men may pressure the women to quit.
         2. May be difficult to enact if the children do not have stable home lives
      3. Ethical Principle: Autonomy 

• Pay the women their salary in a larger sum every other week or every month, provide discounts and porridge samples for daily compensation

1. 1. Pros:
      1.  Involvement on all fronts, directly attacking the malnutrition problem, incentivizes budgeting, purchasing for the good of the family, education
      2. improves child nutrition directly
   2. Cons: 
      1. Does not address the cultural norms surrounding patriarchal money management, largely circumvents the board of directors taking any major actions
   3. Ethical Principle: Autonomy, Beneficence, Justice, Equality

 

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

Some additional concepts and constructs to consider in evaluating the ethicality of this cooperative in the first place:

• Partner with farmers using limited pesticide treatments to incentivize less pesticide usage or safer practices (takes long, monetarily painful)  
• Looser IP laws for other local markets to try and develop their own super porridges
• Invest in educational opportunities for HIV, pesticides, malnutrition
  • Partner with a health clinic due to its relevance to health. 

• Local government
• Local bank
• Donors of the grant

 

• Engineering code of ethics recommends little deception or conflict of interest.
• Previous cases have seen economic disruptions (Quinoa) where items become so popular they increase in price and become unaffordable for local populations
• Must respect some culture but social entrepreneurship’s success often requires some form of social pushing or micro-disruptions to see progress

 

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 approach is the one where women are paid their weekly wages, but are also offered highly discounted porridge and some free samples. This way the family will still receive money, if they do also have non-food related expenses, but they still have the option of a less expensive porridge. It may be easier for wives to convince their husbands to purchase the porridge if it is heavily discounted. Additionally, this also addresses the issue of malnutrition in the area. The children’s nutrition will improve if they have access to this porridge. This solution also does not need to change any cultural norms. Local farmers will benefit as they are able to sell more of their crops to make the porridge. The major issue with this solution is that the program will lose some profits if they are giving away samples or selling the porridge at a discounted rate. I would recommend that the cooperation budget some of their grant money to cover this. If they are not able to then the women’s weekly wage could be lowered to make up for the porridge they are given. This is more effective than the proposed solution to hold workshops or events where wives invite their husbands to learn about the work they are doing in hopes that the husbands will respect it more. Although they may start to value their wives’ work more, it would take a lot more than a workshop to change long standing cultural norms. 

 

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 – The only technology that this solution requires is the equipment needed to make the porridge.

 

Economics – This solution gives the women more control over how the money they earn is spent, and increases the likelihood that their children will get nutritious porridge.

 

Social – This solution tackles the issue of malnutrition by making the nutrient dense porridge more available to the children. The solution also achieves this in a way that does not disturb cultural norms.

 

Environmental – This solution supports farmers who do not use pesticides, which are bad for the environment. 

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

Facts:

• A donator grants a $5000 grant, and offers a $100,000 follow-up gift
• Trying to make Lehigh sustainable by 2030
• Want to use the money to by advertising shirts
• You can get a $2 shirt from a factory in Cambodia that pays employees above local wages, a $10 shirt from a factory in LA that exploits its workers, or a $25 shirt from Lehigh Valley that is made organically 
• The donator wants the shirts to be purchased from the US 

Ethical Issues:

• Need to consider what the workers should be paid for making the T-shirts
• What impact that company has on the environment (How sustainable they are)
• Working conditions at the garment factories
• How are the shirts transported to the US and how much emissions does that produce
• Big part of the decision is to keep the donator happy because they mentioned giving more money

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

• T-shirt manufacturer
• Alumni who made donation
• Student groups 
• Rest of student body
• Lehigh administration

Step 3: Assess the motivations of the Stakeholders

• T-shirt manufacturer – wants to sell shirts and make money
• Alumni who made donation – their donation is going towards the shirts and they value made in the USA and sustainable products
• Student groups – want the project to be successful to create a more sustainable campus
• Rest of student body – will have to adopt the changes made by this program
• Lehigh administration – want to make the best decision for the future of Lehigh

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

1. Buy the $25 organic shirts, but only buy a few and make it a give away or some type of raffle

• Ethical Principle or code
  • Since the movement is supporting sustainability, it is not being hypocritical by purchasing fast fashion shirts
  • The donator is kept happy
• Pros
  • Uses sustainably made shirts  
  • Uses locally made shirts to keep donator happy
  • Workers are treated fairly and paid well
  • A raffle would be fun and bring attention to the program
  • Do not need to buy that many shirts for a raffle
• Cons
  • More expensive shirt, so you cannot buy as many
  • People may lose interest in the program if they just enter a raffle, and do not win anything

2. Ask donator how they would feel about purchasing less expensive shirts from Cambodia (how important is it to them that the shirts are made in the United States)

• Ethical Principle or code
  • Gives the donator the opportunity to share their input on how they hope the money is spent
  • Will be able to buy more shirts and spread awareness because of the inexpensive price, but it is supporting fast fashion
• Pros
  • Is direct in figuring out what the donator’s expectations are
  • Many shirts will be distributed, so more people will learn about what the initiative is trying to accomplish and maybe recruit more members or donators
  • Those making the shirts are paid a fair wage
• Cons
  • The donator may not be happy with the idea of purchasing the shirts from outside of the US
  • Promoting the sustainability initiative with fast fashion and over consumption
  • Transporting the shirts to the US will produce more pollution 

3. Do not buy shirts at all, and just use the money for advancing logistical aspects of the sustainability initiative 

• Ethical Principle or code
  • This is not what the donator intended to be done with their money
  • Produces the least amount of waste, which most supports the core principles of the initiative
• Pros
  • Will have most direct impact on creating a more sustainable campus
  • Does not support fast fashion or creating excess waste
  • There are other ways to advertise the initiative without shirts
• Cons
  • The alumni donated money with the specific intention to allow them to buy shirts
  • Alumni may not donate the follow-up $100,000 if their original donation was not used how they wanted
  • Students may be less interested in the initiative if they do not receive a shirt

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

• Principles of bioethics, engineering ethical codes
• Other alumni for donations
• Various local and national grants
• Lehigh administration and sustainability offices 

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 solution is the first one where only a few of the $25 organic shirts are bought, and given away at a raffle type event. This is the most ethical solution because the shirts are made in a way that limits environmental damage. Additionally, the workers are paid a fair wage. It does not make sense to buy many shirts when many will likely just get thrown out, since the program is advocating sustainability. It would be hypocritical to spread awareness about environmental protection while supporting fast fashion. This solution also keeps the donator happy by using their money to purchase locally sourced shirts, making it more likely that they will also grant the follow-up donation. The program will be able to achieve so much more if they receive the $100,000 grant. The main issue with this solution is that if students do not win the shirt in the raffle, then they may lose interest after. To prevent this, the raffle event could have other activities, such as learning how to make your own shirt out of recycled materials. This way the students would have a fun memory associated with the program. This solution is more engaging than the one proposed in class to buy one shirt and let students sign it. Students may not care about signing a shirt for a program they know nothing about, and will be less likely to remember the program if they do not leave with a shirt. 

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 – This solution will not use much technology, unless there is some equipment needed to make your own shirt.

Economics – This shirt is the most expensive, so they can not buy as many. This is worth it because the shirts are made in an environmentally friendly way and the workers are paid a fair wage. This solution also provides the best chance that the alumni will give the follow-up donation.

Social – This solution will raise awareness about the sustainability initiative in a fun way with the raffle and making your own shirts out of recycled materials.

Environmental – This solution uses the shirts that are made out of organic materials that have the least impact on the environment. Additionally, there will be no extra pollution created to transport the shirts to the United States.