This is a Group Project. Your group has been given a project to write a detailed memo/letter to the President of the local Chamber of Commerce in your County. This is the scenario

The county in question has a population of about 300,000(Not Rutherford County) Traditionally the county's economy was primarily driven by the Agricultural Sector. However in the last 40 years, the county has experienced robust growth in the manufacturing sector, driven by the relocation of manufacturing plants to different parts of the county. Being in a Southern state the county has benefited from employment regulations such as Right to Work laws that tend to favor employers, including manufacturers.

In recent years, due to trade liberalization laws, globalization, and the use of technology, the manufacturing plants in the area have looked to foreign suppliers for some of their supplies. The cost advantage no longer favors local suppliers and the globalization trend seems to be a bad harbinger of things to come for manufacturing sector. The level of unemployment seems to be going up, and the demand for more technologically skilled workforce seems to be going up.

Many in the local Chamber of commerce have started to take notice of this trend and thinks the time for change is around the corner. Many in the business community have also noticed that some surrounding States have been able to attract more employers and businesses that require a workforce with different skill sets. What should the county do, if anything, to make it attractive for new businesses and employers.

It is also obvious to many , that the influential President of the Chamber of Commerce, who has strong ties to the local manufacturers and whose company is a major supplier to some of these manufacturers do not want the status quo to change. Needless to say the prevailing conditions seem to work well for his company. There are others like him in the Chamber and the community. Some in the community do not want to lose the small town atmosphere of the county.

Your task as a group is to make recommendations to the Chamber of Commerce through the President, some specific policy ideas that may be of benefit to the county for many years to come. How does the County remain competitively attractive for businesses? In your memo be sure to use some of the knowledge and information from Modules 2 and 3. Your recommendations should make business sense (i.e. cost implications, possible funding sources etc) to the members of the Chamber and be realistic. You should propose some possible ways of implementing/funding some of your suggestions.

Make sure that you apply the Dale Carnegie principles in your letter/memo. Be considerate of the different stakeholders in your recommendation. Be sure to use at least 15 of the Dale Carnegie Principles