Week 12 - Learning from Private Enterprise

If there is one thing that has really opened my eyes in this class, it's the role that the private sector can play in facilitating change and all that we in public health can learn from companies/organizations. It makes sense, if you want something to happen you had better work with the people who have the money and the various interests. Private Enterprise has been a major motivating force throughout history, right along side religion and government. This group deserves just as much attention. In public health we often tend to think of the business/for-profit sector as the enemy, but in fact if treated right "they" could prove to be quite power allies. Granted, they most often only see the bottom-line, but that's how they subsist. In order to attain assistance and interest from the private sector we must examine in each instance what their raison d'etre is and then provide a motivation for them to join our cause. My favorite investment is people. I think almost anyone can be an asset one way or another, it's just a matter of seeing how everyone fits. I really enjoyed the role playing game we played (well done Mana and Andrea!), and in my role as Chevron in Nigeria, I suggested that my only interests in the situation would be land and a stronger workforce that can withstand the environment better than foreigners. Our group found that this was a good way to look at the situation. If Chevron could have exclusive rights to drill in the land in exchange for better health care, monitoring swamps for mosquito over-growth, and better education for local workers, then it would be a win-win situation. The fact that we are getting the chance to analyze these situations and see the whole picture and who fits in has been extremely valuable to me, and I look forward to putting this knowledge to good use!