Rogat+-+Memo+-+Draft+Overview

Michelle Rogat Draft Overview - "This draft of the proposal should articulate the entire proposal in brief." Should include:
 * What the study aims to accomplish
 * increase the acceptance, uptake, and success of sustainability initiatives in the hospitality industry/businesses
 * How the study will accomplish these aims, and why the proposed approach is best.
 * find where resistance to sustainability comes from within a business in the hospitality industry, do this by observing and alayzing the process for a country club and its golf course to become more sustainable, look into businesses and organizations that offer services to them that could provide an opportunity to be more sustainable, environmental and sustainability consultants and consulting firms/organizations and ask them about their experiences, overall focus on the issues that come up in the real world and where do they stem from, how to move past them. This approach is best because it looks at the overall business ecology surrounding the hospitality industry and the different "nodes" of that ecology that would influence their ability and potential to become sustainable. These nodes include, as mentioned before, the businesses that they buy services from, the organizations and firms that advise in sustainability and the environment, professional environmental consultants hired into separate businesses, and the elite customers/members of hospitality businesses.
 * some guesses to this already are the organizational structure of a business, the relationships an powerplays within a business, the beliefs and backgrounds of people involved, stakeholder involvement and knowledge, resistance to change, hegemonic backdrops
 * have already gotten great feedback from interview the Audubon professional that does consulting for golf courses
 * Where you will obtain data.
 * case study of the Country Club of XXXX - analyze a status snapshot, do an environmental audit and plan with the help of Audubon to become a Certified Green Golf Course. All the while observing and analyzing the issues that come up and any resistance of the people involved, where does it come from/why does it occur
 * interviewing environmental/sustainability professional consultants that have worked on many projects with businesses - ask them about the problems in the projects, etc
 * interviewing businesses that provide an environmental or sustainable service to the hospitality industry - such as the food waste hauler and composte
 * interviews with professionals that were hired into a business to be an environmental or sustainability director or consultant
 * review literature on green business strategies, country clubs, golf courses, organizational structure of business, overall resistance to sustainability
 * interview/survey members/customers
 * Why the study is important, in general, and particularly at this historical moment.
 * this study is important because it focuses on helping develop sustainability and this is part of the solution to the problem of climate change - reduce environmental impact
 * hospitality accounts for a certain % of the economy
 * make a broad impact because over 2.2 million acres of US land are on golf facilities, and the hospitality industry is seen as low'hanging fruit where it has the resources to change its very wasteful ways.
 * important to study the elite and influence their surroundings and ways of thinking because they have so much influence over society
 * important to focus on the failures and problems with sustainability in real world examples because it gives insight that you can't learn in the classroom
 * Who will carry the study out, with what expertise and preparation?
 * I will be carrying out the study at the Country Club of XXXX, with help with sustainable projects from professionals at Audubon International. I will be interviewing Audubon, a variety of stakeholders at the club, another golf course in the area that has already been certified, consulting professionals, and with businesses that help to provide a sustainable service
 * I have been working at the club as a waitress since June 2012 and as Administrative Assistant since June 2013, have gained insight into the business and already have close relationships established to enable me to understand what goes on and how it relates to sustainability within the business.
 * prepare myself by reviewing literature
 * through the country club and through my education in sustainability I have connections to environmental professionals and to businesses and services surrounding the hospitality industry