identification step may take place repeatedly throughout H u m a n i t i e s

Purpose:

The purpose of this assignment is to:

1. identify stakeholder audiences that will be impacted by your project in some way
   • a stakeholder is any person or group who would be impacted by your project and the decisions made as part of the project planning and implementation, including private citizens, nonprofit organizations, small businesses, etc.
2. assess how you will communicate with each of these stakeholders, and how differences between audiences will dictate differences in communicative approaches
3. contribute specific information to your team project

Overview:

In addition to identifying and analyzing project costs and benefits, project planning also includes identifying stakeholders who may be positively or negatively impacted by or interested in your project. This identification step may take place repeatedly throughout a project as you find that new stakeholder groups become impacted or interested in some way, but the sooner you can identify stakeholders, the sooner you can consider their perspectives and begin planning communications with them. Stakeholders can often be identified through the assessment of project costs, which is why this step is positioned second in this assignment.

Required Content and Structure

1. Problem Statement and Solution

At the top of your submission, include a revised problem statement (~1-2 paragraphs) followed by your revised solution (~1 paragraph). The revised problem statement and solution must be clearly and directly connected, with the proposed solution clearly and directly alleviating the stated problem in some way.

Remember: The solution may not be your originally proposed solution — your group agreed on a proposed solution as part of your last meeting, and all assignments are now focused on THAT agreed upon solution.

2. Identifying Stakeholders

Provide citations throughout.

1. Identify 2 specific potential stakeholders associated with your project
   • Stakeholders must be specific.
     • “Farmers” is not specific enough
     • “Dairy farms” is acceptably narrow
     • but “independently owned dairy farms,” or “M&B Products” is even better
   • Although “Tampa Bay Area citizens” sounds extremely broad, they are a specific subsection of Florida citizenry who may be similarly impacted by your project
     • However, the broader the stakeholder group, the more difficult the analysis.
     • Instead, you might focus on “Tampa Bay Area children,” which will allow you to focus your analysis in a specific way. Alternately or additionally, you might focus based on socioeconomic status; the health and life expectancy of those in low socioeconomic brackets is disproportionately diminished by pollution compared to those living in wealthier brackets.
2. Research each stakeholder. Some general resources have been provided for you that may be helpful.
3. For each stakeholder, identify the following (use full sentences):

A. Stakeholder background and cultural considerations (~2 paragraphs)

• • • Provide an overview of your stakeholder’s background (the resources linked in 2 above may be helpful here). Offer clear, specific information that provides a holistic sketch of your stakeholder. For example:
      • • Example:
          • Founded in 1930 by George Jenkins, Publix is currently owned by X and has a net worth of y, with ___ of their ___ stores located in Florida. Publix is the x-ranked/sized food retailer in Tampa, with x-number of stores in the city serving approximately y-number of people. Publix’s values and philanthropy includes x, y, and z. Publix was recognized by the state of Florida for their outstanding commitment to ___ in 2008, and were nationally recognized in ____, _____, and _____ by the non-profit organization Feeding America for their local and statewide contributions and continued dedication to ending hunger in their communities.
          • Concerning culture, Publix’s corporate culture can be summed up by this sentence from the “About” page on their website: “Taking care of our customers, communities and each other is still what Publix is all about.” Publix’s community outreach, focus on sustainability, and belief in people and their potential strongly shapes Publix’s business practices and decision making. Publix believes that their employees make the business, and that the communities shape the people, so Publix not only trains, supports, and promotes from within, they also invest time and money into employees and their communities. As a result, Publix tackles global issues at a local level through civic engagement and sustainable practices.
      • Remember that “culture” includes multiculturalism and co-cultures, and that you cannot simply assume that a person, group, company, region, etc. will think, act, or value the things that you believe are most important to the dominant culture. The perspectives of your stakeholders may be very different from your own.

B. Stakeholder interest

• • • Problem: Why does this stakeholder care about the problem as articulated in your problem statement? How are they impacted by the problem as articulated in your problem statement? (~2-4 sentences/~50-100 words)
    • Solution: Will the stakeholder find your solution clear, familiar, and easy to understand? Why? If the solution is outside of this stakeholder’s likely realm of understanding, what will you do to make your solution more concrete and easy to understand? (~2-4 sentences/~50-100 words)
    • Cultural Considerations: What cultural considerations discussed in A above might shape this stakeholder’s interest, or affect the way they understand the problem or perceive the proposed solution?

C. Probable stakeholder attitude toward the project (positive, negative, neutral, adversarial, competitive, etc.) and why (~2-5 sentences/~50-125 words)

D. Include one cost that you think may be particularly important to the stakeholder, and why (~1-3 sentences/~25-75 words)

E. Include one benefit that you think may be particularly important to the stakeholder, and why (~1-3 sentences/~25-75 words)

F. Based on your own values and goals, what common-ground do you and the stakeholder share? Explain. (~3-6 sentences/~75-150 word)

• • • • consider shared goals, values, desired outcomes, etc.
      • you can find common ground with any stakeholder, even if you believe they will have a negative or competitive attitude toward your project

G. How might this common ground help you positively connect with the stakeholder? How can this common ground help you develop shared meaning with the stakeholder? (3-6 sentences/~75-150 words)

Submission:

• • List each stakeholder independently, with all of the required information/analysis included below the stakeholder title. Include citations throughout.
    • See the Stakeholder Analysis Organization Sample for guidance on how to organize your analysis