Your Industry's Footprint

Team Challenge

To what extent does your industry contribute to greenhouse gases? The write-up you draft now is a first draft of the "Industry Anlaysis" section of the Global Business Plan.

Resources

Your team will need to do some research on your own for this section. A good place to start is Wikipedia and (big hint!) use the search of this web site on your topic AND use the Global Resources and its search tool and "tag cloud." You are responsible for making sure the external website is a valid and reliable resource.

Now is a good time to start building a LIST OF REFERENCES that are valuable in researching your product and/or the science behind your industry, product or market. Keep in mind that proper citiations of references is an absolute requirement in the business plan. You must cite every source that you quote, adapt or depend on for your line of reasoning - this means that a reader should easily be able to tell "where got it" and "how to go get it." You must also only list references in the Bibliography that you have actually used. We ask that you use APA form - for example (Gibson, 2008) and we have a whole Team Challenge devoted to the Bibliography. Check it out and use the approach in EVERY section that you write. Putting it all together at the end is SO MUCH EASIER if you do each section right!

Here are some links for various industries:

Transportation:

Wikipedia Transport Portal
Transportation Research Board
European Union News and Policy Website (www.euractiv.com)Green Cars and Sustainable Transport
The Internal Combustion Engine and other automobile history on About.com

Energy:

Wikipedia-Energy Industry
Electric Industry History in the United States
World Energy Consumption-The Good, The Bad, and The BTUs
BP's Statistical Review of Global Energy. Take a look at the historical data series ask your mentor if you need some guidance with how to read the statistics.
This is a link to a companion website for various college level courses on sustainable energy. There is alot of information here, use it well, but don't get too lost! Introduction to Energy and its Use

Process

BASIC Explore the history of the industry (or industries) in which your team is interested. Keep in mind that your industry is much broader than the particular product you may be offering. If you are building car engines that run on methane gas (for example), you may want to talk about the history of the entire automotive industry. If you are building windmills to generate electricity, your industry is not just the windmill industry, but the energy industry as a whole. As you write up your findings notes and produce a first draft for the team to edit and improve, give some details about your industry, but keep the history brief, relevant and informative.

GRAB YOUR POINTS!

1. Log into eFolio. Place your work into your team's "GBP & TIP Challenges" folder. Title your entry with [Your Name]-[Challenge title]-[Process Level] (e.g. David Gibson-Title-BASIC) so that we can credit you for your work!

2. Evaluate the Challenge.

GOING BEYOND In your draft of this section, add some key turning points of the history (when did the industry make a big change? Did other historical events or discoveries impact this industry?. How are the Ten Flatteners of the world impacting the industry that you've chosen?

Present an overview of the basic science of the industry that relates to climate change or energy. You will go into more scientific detail in another section, so this is an introduction and "big picture" of the science of the industry. For example, wind power depends on the mechanical forces generating electric fields and on finding sites around the world with a good source of wind. How does that work in general, who works on those kinds of issues? Later, your discussion of your innovation might dive into a particular detail about that process that improves it.

GRAB YOUR POINTS!

2. Evaluate the Challenge

GOING CRAZY What are the opportunities for growth or change in this market? Is there an opportunity for your team to fill a niche market with a product that will affect climate change? What is your idea’s place in this industry? What is your niche? Did you use the Ten Flatteners to find your niche? Many teams find it useful to divide up the work (whole sections, or parts or aspects of a section that then come together. For example on this challenge, how your team is using the following kinds roles:

Task Leader, (Research Team Leader, Team Leader) for this "Industry Footprint" challenge?
Documentation (writing, editing, putting things together)
Resources (finds and gets stuff)
Evaluation and team reflection role (process monitor role)

Some MORE BIG HINTS while you go CRAZY that you'll want to save for the Key Personnel and Appendix section of your solution:

Discuss the process your team went through in choosing this industry. What other industries did you consider? How did your understanding of science (GCA’s focus areas: physics, chemistry, engineering, life sciences, mathematics) drive your decision? How did your understanding of science change while researching and developing this product? How did your team collaborate to understand these concepts?

GRAB YOUR POINTS!

2. Evaluate the Challenge