Industrical+Development+Concepts

Type in the content of your new page here.


 * Report Proposal**

In putting together our industrial report, what if we broke it down into three parts with each taking on one of the sections?

1. Proposed industry — Shawn (Sustainable Agriculture)

**Bowling Alone and Sustainable Agriculture** 
 * Sustainable Agriculture Introduction:**

Agriculture has changed since the end of World War II. Food and fiber productivity soared due to new technologies, mechanization, increased chemical use, specialization and government policies that favored maximizing production. These changes allowed fewer farmers with reduced labor demands to produce the majority of the food and fiber in the U.S and throughout the World. Although these changes have had many positive effects and reduced many risks in farming, there have also been significant costs. Prominent among these are topsoil depletion, groundwater contamination, the decline of family farms, continued neglect of the living and working conditions for farm laborers, increasing costs of production, and the disintegration of economic and social conditions in rural communities. A growing movement has emerged during the past two decades to question the role of the agricultural establishment in promoting practices that contribute to these social problems. Today this movement for sustainable agriculture is garnering increasing support and acceptance within mainstream agriculture. Not only does sustainable agriculture address many environmental and social concerns, but it offers innovative and economically viable opportunities for growers, laborers, consumers, policymakers and many others in the entire food system. Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals--environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. A variety of philosophies, policies and practices have contributed to these goals. People in many different capacities, from farmers to consumers, have shared this vision and contributed to it. A systems perspective is essential to understanding sustainability. The system is envisioned in its broadest sense, from the individual farm, to the local ecosystem, and to communities affected by this farming system both locally and globally. An emphasis on the system allows a larger and more thorough view of the consequences of farming practices on both human communities and the environment. A systems approach gives us the tools to explore the interconnections between farming and other aspects of our environment. A systems approach also implies interdisciplinary efforts in research and education. This requires not only the input of researchers from various disciplines, but also farmers, farm-workers, consumers, policymakers and others. Making the transition to sustainable agriculture is a process. For farmers, the transition to sustainable agriculture normally requires a series of small, realistic steps. Family economics and personal goals influence how fast or how far participants can go in the transition. It is important to realize that each small decision can make a difference and contribute to advancing the entire system further on the "sustainable agriculture continuum." The key to moving forward is the will to take the next step. Finally, it is important to point out that reaching toward the goal of sustainable agriculture is the responsibility of all participants in the system, including farmers, laborers, policymakers, researchers, retailers, and consumers. Each group has its own part to play, its own unique contribution to make to strengthen the sustainable agriculture community. **Creating a Sustainable Agriculture Industry** Located in the "breadbasket" of North America, Ohio is perfectly located to establish an industry dedicated to the innovation and development of sustainable agricultural products and processes that can create a span of influence around the world. In addition to dedicated land developed for sustainable efforts, Bowling Alone will also need to provide incentives and encouragement for corporations to invest capital (including relocation) to the area. Research and study must be pursued in the effort of developing new methods, products, and processes. The community college in Bowling Alone will develop and adapt current agricultural studies to the pursuit of sustainable processes. Additionally, the following areas of study can apply to the area of sustainable agriculture. Clearly the local community college will not be able to meet the demand of study necessary to pursue this area, however, partnerships can, and should, be developed with universities and research facilities throughout the World. Providing a central location to invest time, effort, and monies will serve as an asset to universities and colleges. Additionally, a community of innovation will develop in the area creating a sustainable economic opportunity for Bowling Alone. **Timeline** Short-Term  Mid-Term
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Macro and Micro Economics
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Urban Planning
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Environmental Sciences
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">World Politics
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Agri-diversity
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ecology
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Industrial Management
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Transportation
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Engineering
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//and more . . .//
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Create a project team (includes business, educational, community, and governmental individuals)
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Develop a strategic 5, 10, and 20 year plan
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Develop a symbolic marketing strategy
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Implement marketing plan
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Develop relationships with universities, colleges, and research facilities
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Develop partnerships with NGOs (with missions related to development and agriculture)
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Provide sustained support of further development and innovation

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">

2. Ties to education and government — Pete What will we need to make this work from our local schools and colleges as well as governmental support.

For Bowling Alone to rebound and prosper, the industrial sector must work closely with the local and state governments as well as the area’s high schools and colleges. In many cases, the three sectors will work on projects together.
 * Industrial Partnerships**

• The government sector will need to offer tax incentives for entrepreneurs to start businesses in Bowling Alone, as well as encourage companies from other states and cities to move their operations to our community. • Working with the local government, the industrial sector will help renovate the downtown area, providing business offices, small manufacturing and research centers and retail shops for people in the community. In many of the buildings, architecturally pleasing apartments will be built on the second floor, attracting young professionals to Bowling Alone. • The government sector will work with the industrial sector to ensure efficient handling of all building permits. • The government sector will work with industrial sector to provide tax breaks to first-time home owners in the community. Along these lines, the two sectors will partner develop low-income homes for young families. • The government sector will work with industrial sector to provide efficient public transportation in the community, decreasing the need for parking and increasing the chances for people to interact on their way to work. • The government sector will work with industrial sector to build community centers in different neighborhoods throughout Bowling Alone. The centers will be open to all neighborhood residents and will house a coffee and sandwich shop, a public gathering room along with small meeting rooms for neighborhood clubs and organizations. The education sector will also help with this project by offering free educational and training sessions on a variety of topics: history of World War II, how to use Photoshop, cooking with chocolate, etc. • The industrial sector will partner with the government to provide affordable and high-quality childcare programs to community citizens. • The government sector will work with the industrial sector to provide wireless internet access throughout the entire community. • The government sector will team with the industrial and education sector to develop a new tag line for Bowling Alone that helps the community forge a new identity. The three groups will also work together to capture a list of Bowling Alone traditions and symbols to teach to new residents, visiting tourists and youngsters entering elementary school.
 * Partnerships with Government**

• The industrial sector will partner with local schools and colleges to help train students on the use of innovation and technology. Industry will offer short-term internships to high school seniors and college students to give them hands-on experiences. • The education sector must be flexible and adaptable in training students to work in local industry as well as excel in four-year colleges. Education will take advantage of new teaching technologies by allowing students to interact with students at other schools in Bowling Alone as well as students living in other states and countries. • Local schools and colleges will offer service learning programs in their classes to get their students involved in the community. Local businesses will help with the project by allowing parents and employees to take part in the community service efforts. • The education sector will develop new programs that encourage life-long learning in the community. • The education sector will tailor the learning process to the strengths of the student, rather than just offer an assembly line philosophy.
 * Partnerships with Education**

3. Leadership philosophy as it relates to social capital — Cathy Lee //a. Over-arching philosophy — perhaps tie to Reframing Organizations and Leading Change b. Examples within our businesses — perhaps tie to Enlightened Leadership We could also use this section to talk about our efforts to remain innovation and creative//

Once we have this written, we could then fill in any holes. I only offer this so perhaps we can get moving on our section in the coming week. See you Tuesday. — Pete

4-15-09: Shawn — Cathy Lee and I talked and we took our assignments. I will have my section done this weekend for review. I also have some ideas related to part 3, which is the key section, as I am sure you do as well. Cathy Lee plans to write this as a series of programs and ideas that we want to implement. If you want to add your ideas at the end, that would be great. For example, I will write two short proposals related to diversity circles and volunteerism. Enjoy your week.

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">**4-20-09: Pete and Shawn - Are ideas such as this (listed below) what we are aiming for? - CL**

=
- Strong leaders must possess a dynamic personality and remember to be flexible plus ready to make adjustments when necessary since things do not always go as planned. Most importantly, good leaders should be able to motivate people to believe and take ownership in the vision which is set for the institution. Leaders should have the ability to persuade people to follow their lead. Consequently, being knowledgeable and experienced in their area will provide them with the resources to create a strategic plan to work towards that vision.====== <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">

=
4) Leader(s) must take into consideration the four frames (Structural, Human Resource, Political and Symbolic) when creating the foundation for their company. It must be understood that each frame can impact the organizaiton in a different way and by incorporating all four frames, all individuals, employees, community members can make a contribution to the whole organizaiton.======

=
5) Leaders must bring important traits to their workplace including courage, honesty, intelligence, vision and empathy. One such example is Rwanda's President Paul Kagame, who has made huge strides in his country after the 1994 genocide. As reported in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People, one of Kagame's greatest strengths is his willingness to listen to his opponents and actually learn more them. Journalist Stephen Kinzer reported that while writing a biography of Kagame, the President encouraged him to talk to his critics. He even gave Kinzer and list and said that he would have a fuller picture of Kagame if he interviewed them. This mix of humility and confidence has helped stabilize a country on the brink of ruin.======

=
Empathy can found in a leader like Sheriff Thomas Dart of Cook County in Illinois, who gained fame for refusing eviction notices earlier this year to people in his community who could no longer pay their mortgages. Risking contempt charges, Dart demanded a better system that didn't throw children out on the streets. His courage and empathy forced greater scrutiny in the eviction process, including giving families a chance to save their homes. Today, he has agreed to serve these notices, though the numbers have decreased dramatically.======

“A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.” – John Maxwell, Author and Motivational Speaker
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">

2) Create a working environment where people's voices can be heard and feel they can impact the organization in some way.
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">

=
- When good leaders full understand the direction of a department and the college culture, this leader will do a great job in guiding his/her employees with completing tasks and decision making processes. He/she will remind people what is good to fight for and what might be best to let go of. Good leaders need to collaborate with various departments because together they can work towards a common goal.======

=
- On a smaller and community based level, encourage students/citizens to help out at the local soup kitchen, volunteer time at charity events sponsored by hospitals, schools, or other organizations, and/or help out with fundraisers which raise money for charitble organizations. On a larger scale, encourage people to join the Peace Corps or other volunteer organizations which help out in areas of their interest.======

=
- Provide resources and information about conferences and workshops which will help professionals grow in their fields. It is essential for the organization to show their support for these endeavors by allowing employees to take the time off to attend such events.======

=
7) Allow for groups with specific interests and backgrounds to meet regularly at work or in the work community. For example, these diversity circles could be used to bring together people of color such as Latinos or Native Americans, or people within a specific age range such as college graduates and senior citizens. The idea could be expanded to include single parents, gays and lesbians, the handicapped and people of faith.======

Yes. And then we can each add a couple of ideas that we have come up with or read about in our books to place under each heading. — Pete

In developing a plan for the industrial sector, I keep coming back to these questions.

1. What industry should we focus on? What will ignite the passion of Bowling Alone?

I keep thinking this would be a great time to enter the auto industry and consider a new way to build cars. Right now, President Obama is putting heavy pressure on General Motors, and seems to be willing to allow it to go away. Even if this happens, someone in America will have to make cars, and it seems likely that an innovative company that focuses on niche markets could be very profitable, especially if it is able to access some of the stimulus money. What I like about this idea is that Americans will always buy cars, and though they can't get the financing right now, the projections for car sales in 2012 are very favorable. That is when the financial and credit crises are expected to ebb. To provide harder numbers, each year, 2 million more Americans get their driver's licenses. In addition, we get rid of more than 12 million cars annually. Better for us, Americans for the last two years have basically stopped buying automobiles. The market will be there. If we are able to focus on a specific niche that uses energy-efficient technology, we will be able to avoid some of the things that are killing the larger auto manufacturers right now: too many models for sale and an unwillingness to get rid of their low-selling unpopular brands. We also would have much more control over labor costs and health care benefits, especially if we are constructing our plants in a depressed community with lots of people seeking jobs. The key will be to develop plants that are flexible in producing sleek energy-efficient cars. Also, we need to be able respond to the ever-changing whims of the automobile buyer, which means we need to have an eye on innovation and technology. <span style="color: rgb(0, 100, 255);"> <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 100, 255);">While I agree that this could be the time to look at the auto industry, most communities need to look at a diverse industrial/economic base. Another possibility is to look at agriculture, both large and small. Encouraging area grocery stores, and even the major food chains to buy local is a way to encourage truck farming and more efficient land utilization. It would also support green initiatives by lessening fuel costs for transportation. With the rise in smaller farms, but higher quality goods, Bowling Alone could encourage some of the smaller food processors to relocate to the area. Other “green” industries could also be romanced to the area….Perhaps an area recycling plant. The biggest issue with recycling is the lack of facilities to process the products. Once the processing plants are established, companies who use recycled products that ship primarily to the Ohio area could be encouraged to move to the area, thus furthering green initiatives. 2. How do we tie this to education?

I keep going back to the notion that the approach to education needs to start much earlier than high school or college, but with the formation of child birth education classes, Head Start initiatives, quality child care centers and pre-school options. Certainly it will be important to align industry with the local high schools and community colleges/universities in the development of highly trained workers to build cars, and potentially set up research labs at the major institutions in Ohio to help with the development of new transportation technologies. <span style="color: rgb(49, 132, 155); font-family: Times New Roman;">The local community college could also be contracted with to develop industry- and job-specific courses to train and maintain a more highly educated workforce. Have you heard of Girls in the Middle? It's a conference for 6-8th graders to encourage them to pursue degrees/careers in science, technology and math. I think organizing a project/conference such as this would be a good fit for Bowling Alone Ohio and would piggyback off of the idea of educating students at a much younger age. It is also a great opportunity to build community since members of the community could help organize and facilitate this endeavor. Members of the community could also be the guest speakers as well as role models which the students would learn from. There could also be a Boys in the Middle.

3. What is the role of government in this effort? <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(49, 132, 155); font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The role of government in these issues is not only federal or state, but local, as well. Tax incentives could be offered for targeted new industries that would agree to move to Bowling Alone

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">In addition to funding, the government could stress the importance of these issues in their campaigns and promote their value. 4. What kind of leadership model should we try to build in Bowling Alone, not just in the auto plants but throughout the local businesses? We need to encourage businesses to allow their employees to volunteer and be an active participant in the community, but we also need to set up hierarchies that develop leaders within the companies and encourage a broader view of the world. I keep going back to Reframing Organizations to answer this question.

I think about Servant Leadership as well. That the leaders need to see their role as being "sevants/helpers" for the community. I see Bowling Along Ohio as being a service-oriented environment so have leaders in place who understand that, will help the community prosper.

5. How will we build social capital at the work site? <span style="color: rgb(49, 132, 155); font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">On the work site, social capital may be developed through company-sponsored CEU's or for-credit coursework and other organized activities which would give the worker not only educational credits (tie-back to education), but also develop personal work relationships with those throughout the company. Incentives would need to be offered, such as some amount of hourly increase in pay for educational course completions, and the possible addition of child care services for those single parents out there. <span style="color: rgb(49, 132, 155);">

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">There could also be professional development opportunities available on site. Maybe sending a couple employees to a seminar/conference and then they could teach/share the new information they learned. 6. How will this social capital then translate to a positive community? <span style="color: rgb(49, 132, 155); font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">With increased social capital and the company's concern/care/interest by offering the classes as well as providing childcare, the company projects a positive, progressive image which translates into a more positive community. Learning from each other (children learning from adults, adults learning from adults in and outside of work) will help people feel they are a true part of an initative and feel a sense of ownership.