Discussion

Topic Dream Job: Owner of a Trucking Company in Florida
 

This week describe your dream job. Where would it be, what would you do, and describe how you make decisions in a socially responsible manner. Be specific and reference this week’s lesson in your response.
 

Instructions:  Your initial post should be at least 250 words. 
 

Reference:

 

Civic and Social Responsibility in Transportation and Logistics
 

LESSON TOPICS
 

A Model of Civic and Social Responsibility
 

Civic Responsibilities
 

Social Responsibilities
 

Data Collaboratives
 

Challenges and Benefits
 

INTRODUCTION
 

 . As you enter the workforce, it is important to consider how the decisions you make will have an effect on the local, state, federal, and global levels.
 

This third lesson is focused on Learning Objective #3: Argue the importance of civic and social responsibility as it applies to student’s discipline or career choice.
 

A Model of Civic and Social Responsibility
 

Here is a quote from John. D. Rockefeller Jr. that captures the importance of civic and social responsibility.
 

We must instill a sense of duty in our children;
 

Every right implies a responsibility,
 

Every responsibility, an obligation;
 

Every obligation, a duty.
 

John D. Rockefeller Jr. was a pioneer in the early 20th century. He was a financier and philanthropist. He was the only son of 5 children of John D. Rockefeller Sr., who is considered the wealthiest American of all time from his oil industry business (No Author, 2013).
 

Simply put, John D. Rockefeller Jr. was a great example of a civically and socially conscious individual. His ethical and cultural decisions helped shaped American ideology as we know it by creating research organizations, donating money, and dedicating land for not only the American people but for all human beings. In this week’s lesson, consider how these ideals translate to 21st-century transportation and logistics.
 

Here are some of Rockefeller’s most notable accomplishments:
 

PROFESSIONAL
 

PHILANTHROPIC
 

 

Civic Responsibilities
 

Civic responsibility is defined as the responsibilities of a citizen. It is the ethical and cultural forces that help you make decisions. Let’s take this definition and apply it to organizations, companies, and non-profits.
 

What are the civic responsibilities of companies to inform decision-makers and evaluate performance using real-time data?
 

How can data collected be used for the greater good?
 

USING DATA FOR ACTION AND IMPACT
 

USING A LOGIC MODEL
 

Civic responsibilities are more than just reporting a profit margin for a business. Rather, they include analyzing the financial, social, ethical, cultural, and environmental impacts. With the rapid increase in data, companies must use data to respond to society’s needs, to manage processes efficiently, and to provide the best product possible. This same data can be used to establish trends, inform policymakers, and serve as a foundation for ongoing improvement and change (Fruchterman, 2016).
 

Social Responsibilities
 

Data is everywhere! We live in an era of big data. “The proliferation of apps, social media, and e-commerce platforms, as well as sensor-rich consumer devices like mobile phones, wearable devices, commercial cameras, and even cars generate zettabytes of data about the environment and about us” (Verhulst, 2017, p. 1).
 

When it comes to Transportation and Logistics, companies have access to very valuable data in the form of purchases, RFID tags, data records, inventory management, and online searches and sales. Imagine how this information can be used in:
 

Urban Planning – determining the best locations for grocery stores in food deserts
 

Climate Change – altering trucking routes to lessen the pollutants caused by vehicle exhaust
 

Food Security – Understanding the true shelf life of products to manage inventory levels efficiently
 

Data Collaboratives
 

Data Collaboratives are defined as organized methods to promote social data responsibility.
 

In what ways can organized data collection promote the sharing of proprietary data?
 

How can the analysis of real-time data promote corporate social responsibility?
 

What cultural changes are needed for companies, governments, and organizations to act on this data in an ethical and socially conscious manner?
 

STEPS TOWARD SOCIAL DATA RESPONSIBILITY
 

Verhulst (2017) states that the following four steps are essential to help a company move from data shielding to data sharing.
 

PUBLIC COMMITMENT
 

DATA STEWARDS
 

DATA RESPONSIBILITY DECISION TREE
 

DATA RESPONSIBILITY MOVEMENT
 

Challenges and Benefits
 

Becoming more civic-minded is a technical challenge, an organizational challenge, and a cultural challenge. Developing a culture of data collection and data sharing can have long-reaching benefits. Organizations can contribute to the civic and social good - this means companies can predict better outcomes using data and share those best practices with similar organizations. Simply put, civic and social responsibility means learning what does and does not work and sharing those practices with other companies (Fruchterman, 2016).
 

Conclusion
 

In closing, the goal of this week’s lesson was to address the civic and social responsibilities in the transportation and logistics industry. When it comes to being socially, ethically, and corporately responsible in the field of transportation and logistics, it is important to understand how data can transform the world. As students enter the workforce, it is important to consider how the decisions you make will have an influence at the local, state, federal, and global levels.
 

References
 

Fruchterman, J. (2016). Using Data for Action and for Impact. Stanford Social Innovation Review. Retrieved from https://ssir.org/articles/entry/using_data_for_action_and_for_impact
 

No Author (2013). John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-D-Rockefeller-Jr
 

Verhulst, S. (2017). Corporate Social Responsibility for a Data Age. Stanford Social Innovation Review. Retrieved from https://ssir.org/articles/entry/corporate_social_responsibility_for_a_data_age
 

Image Citations
 

"Photograph of John D. Rockefeller Jr." by https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/John_D._Rockefeller_Jr..jpg.