H2Opportunities proposal

1. Objective (learning outcome) of proposed Independent Study.

 

In the spring semester of 2012 I will complete a research project on the topic of The Business of Water, applying the concept of entrepreneurial solutions that create social and economic value.

 

a.       The first objective of the Independent Study is to develop an extensive working knowledge on the topic described below. This will be accomplished through a rigorous literature review of scholarly research as well as nonprofit and for profit system interventions. The working knowledge gained will be used to develop a curriculum module for David Payne’s Topics in Sustainable Business class. This work will be completed in a manner to support the second objective described below.

 

b.      A secondary learning outcome will be identifying likely opportunities in the space, focusing on entrepreneurial and/or intrapreneurial solutions, leveraging incentives to create business value (profit) to implement solutions which address social and environmental crises. Certain opportunities, especially intrapreneurial ones may prove to be dead ends due to limited transparency in established organizations. In such cases, I will aim to identify the potential opportunity and provide suggested next steps for the corporation or nonprofit implicated.

 

1. Description of proposed study topic.

 

The topic of the study will be the application of entrepreneurial thinking to social and environmental water crises. Specifically, I will focus on the implications through the lenses of three metrics:

1.      Embodied and available resources

2.      Industrial usage and consumption

3.      Contamination and remediation

 

The theory I will explore is that entrepreneurial thinking can be applied to water: a finite resource often taken for granted and, when scarce, perceived typically as a social problem more than an economic opportunity.  Entrepreneurial / intrapreneurial thinking can be applied in this space to illuminate profitable opportunities in the form of solutions to wasteful consumption and systems design failures.

 

The following is a topic outline that will be researched to develop the thesis:

 

1.      Research Methods:  Literature Review

a.      Books

                                                                                      i.      Natural Capitalism (Hawken, Lovins and Lovins)

                                                                                    ii.      Plan B 4.0 (Brown)

b.      Periodicals (water issues from National Geographic, Inc., etc.)

c.       Peer-reviewed academic journals

                                                                                      i.      EBSCO - Business Source Complete, etc.

                                                                                    ii.      Citations collected using EndNote software

 

2.      Overview of Corporate (for profit) projects in water systems management

 

3.      Overview of nonprofit projects in water systems management

 

4.      Metrics: Tools that span social, environmental, and fiscal

 

a.      Benchmarking: what is

b.      Embodied Resources

c.       System Dynamics (systems thinking, Limits to Growth, etc.)

d.      Market Failures (Externalities / Pollution / Contamination)

e.       Ecosystem Services

 

5.      Opportunities identification; key insights; conclusion, etc.

 

This topic of study is complementary with the Leeds School of Business’s entrepreneurial spirit, because innovative thinking around this scarce resource creates viable socially responsible market opportunities. The thesis produced from this independent study may be used to create a viable business to leverage the profit motive in a manner that is socially, environmentally, and financially sustainable. Furthermore, much of the content developed for the course will be reused in future years.