Reflections

Part A: I feel I need to know more about formulating and implementing long-term strategic plans (Stacey, 2007). If I am to offer suggestions to Haiti's government on how to make inroads in rehabilitating Haiti, I need to know how to facilitate sustainability as leaders' purpose and mission (Senge, Smith, Kruschwitz, Laur, & Schley, 2010). I am looking forward to the research design course because I want to learn to incorporate sustainability in the measures I want to look at to employ Haitians.

Part B: Portfolio of Visions (Senge et al., 2010). I always noticed when I grew up in a small rural community in Ohio, that there were farmers feeding the community. Around the farmers grew up small businesses serving the farmers: the granary, the butcher, the cannery, farm machinery sales, farm machinery service, veterinarians. There was the school educating the children of the town and the surrounding farms. In 25 years I see Haiti graduating children from schools and colleges starting businesses that serve the other businesses, businesses that recycle waste for other businesses, businesses that design zero waste systems for other businesses or communities, it is a system that grows on itself. With my Doctoral Study, I will submit my ideas to the Haitian government or perhaps an NGO or a missionary. Then, I see myself either employing a few individuals or facilitating their self-employment making hand-crafted dresses to be sold to Americans who would like to buy stylish clothes that would help Haitians; I see the social responsibility as being a positive marketing tool. The idea would be that the Haitians would earn enough money to send their children to school, which costs $400 a year in Haiti. Before the earthquake, Haitians typically made a $1 a day. Then I see forming alliances with individuals who could help promote organically, sustainably grown cotton or hemp farms which would supply the material for the hand-crafted dresses.

References

Senge, P. M., Smith, B., Kruschwitz, N., Laur, J., & Schley, S. (2010). The necessary revolution: How individuals and organisations are working together to create a sustainable world. New York, NY: Doubleday.

Stacey, R. D. (2007). Strategic management and organisational dynamics: The challenge of complexity (5th ed.). Harlow, England: Prentice Hall.