March 20, 2021

Social Problem
Report

BUS10012 Innovative Business Practice

Assignment 1 | Semester 1

Nguyen Minh Tri | 102841913

Words: 1880
Table of Contents
I. Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship and Design Thinking ............................................ 3
II. Personal Empathy and connection with the Social Problem ............................................. 3
III. Users affected by Sexual harassment ................................................................................... 5
IV. Problem Statement ............................................................................................................... 6
V. Appendices ........................................................................................................................... 6
VI. References .......................................................................................................................... 11
 I. Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship and Design Thinking
According to J. Gregory Dees, social entrepreneurship "combines the passion of a social
mission with an image of business-like discipline, innovation, and determination commonly
associated with, for instance, the high-tech pioneers of Silicon Valley.". In addition, social
entrepreneurship is the application of innovative, market-oriented methods to address the
underlying causes of social and environmental issues. One of the most challenging parts for
social entrepreneurs is to define their problems ( often social problems ). The Design Thinking
method introduces systematic, innovative ways to approach social problems, which allow
businesses to deal with sophisticated social issues.
Design thinking is defined as "an analytic and creative process that engages a person in
opportunities to experiment, create and prototype models, gather feedback, and redesign"
(Razzouk & Shute 2012, p. 330). Design thinking is a method of solving problems that have
human-centered, discussing to generate ideas—then using those ideas to approach reality and
meet the users' actual needs. According to Dam and Siang (2020), design thinking is especially
effective when tackling wicked problems with no solutions or unknown by re-framing the issue
in a human-centric manner, brainstorming various ideas, and prototyping and testing with a
hands-on approach.
Initially, Herbert Simon states in The Sciences of Artificial Intelligence (1969) that the
design thinking process has seven stages, which are still the classic set of introductory guidelines
for a good design process. Many variations of Design thinking have appeared over time.
However, they are based on the principles laid out by Herbert Simon. Nowadays, The Design
Thinking process has been narrowed down to five critical stages, 'Emphasize', 'Define', 'Ideate',
'Prototype', and 'Test' (Ingle 2013, p1-15).
The first stage, named 'Emphasize' or 'Understanding', begins by identifying the human
needs of everyone involved, including customers, clients, and employees. This phase's goal is to
gain an empathetic understanding of the problem and allows the team to go deeper into users'
mind. The "Define" segment is to analyze and synthesize the information gathered during the
empathizing phase. A designer integrates researched information into the human-centric issue at
hand after empathizing and then outlines the problem statement. As a way of explaining the
problem, the Define stage of the design thinking process can assist in stating what the user
requires. The 'Prototyping' stage combines ideas, information, and options to target specific
problem-solving situations. In the final stage, 'Test', trials, and experiments are required to
generate actual data. This stage is about identifying the best possible solution and understanding
the problem interaction.

II. Personal Empathy and connection with the Social Problem

1. The Social Problem: Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is a major social problem of concern in employment. This problem
can take many forms, including crude jokes to derogatory remarks based on gender stereotypes,
sexual assault, verbal abuse, and demands for sexual favors. There is no gender limit to sexual
harassment, both men and women can be sexually abused. Even though both men and women
are sexually assaulted, studies show that women are the majority of victims (Chatterjee 2018).
Victims are usually younger, hold lower-level jobs, work primarily with and be overseen by
people of the opposite sex.

2. Sexual harassment’s effects

Sexual harassment has a detrimental financial impact. In 2020, the U.S. Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reported over 6587 claims of sexual harassment,
costing organizations and harassers $65.3 million. Since much abuse remains unreported, the
overwhelming cost that this problem brings to our society remains unknown.
Usually, the cost is much more than financial because sexual harassment impacts
employees' physical health and mental health. These physical effects can vary from body aches,
musculoskeletal injury and headaches, and chronic physical health conditions, including elevated
blood pressure and blood sugar issues (Spector 2017). Besides, mental issues such as depression,
anxiety, and even post-traumatic stress disorder can adversely affect employees' health.
Finally, the employees' productivity can be significantly reduced when they have
experienced sexual abuse as the victim's exhibit symptoms such as project neglect, unfocused
and late for the deadline. Sexual harassment has been found in research to discourage female
employees from optimally employing their capital, leading to poorer productivity. These women
cited a lack of motivation to work and an inability to focus on their work. (Cici et al. 2019)

3. United Nations Sustainable Development Goal

In 2015, The United Nations introduced seventeen Sustainable Development Goal which
aims to eradicate poverty, protect the earth's environment and climate, and ensure people
everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. This issue can be linked to two out of
seventeen goals: Goal 5; Gender Equality, as the majority of the victims are women so this goal
can ensure woman’s right. Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth, aims to create
opportunities for men and women to obtain stable, productive employment in conditions of
freedom, equality, and dignity ( United Nations 2015 ).

4. Personal reflection
Last year summer, I was invited to India as an exchange student. The journey left me
shocked because of what I have witnessed in inner-city areas. I saw a woman being sexually
abused by her supervisor. Even though my friends and I tried to help her, she chose to be silent
because she needed the job so much. In India, having a stable job with a sustainable income is a
privilege. She had to deal with insecurity, depression, and trauma every time she leaves her
home. This left my friends, and I thought in despair. After a few months of researching and
seeking an optimal solution. I realized that we need to change our mindsets that sexual
harassment is a prohibited subject and raises awareness about appropriate and unacceptable
attitudes. So, we launched an educational campaign that could assist people with the basic
understanding of sexual harassment. Our campaign is about educating and teaching people in
remote areas and inner-city defining sexual harassment behaviors and how to deal with it. We
value our future, and to create a decent working environment, taking action is a must. I firmly
believe that I could run my campaign with my communication, directing, and visioning skills and
devote my strength to society.

III. Users affected by Sexual harassment

1. Women
Although both man and woman are capable of being sexually abused, but the woman often
remains the vast majority. It is found that 4 out of 5 women, which is approximately 81% of
women, said that they had experienced several forms of sexual harassment in their lifetime. Over
38% of women were sexually abused at the workplace (2018 Study on Sexual Harassment and
Assault). “Sexual harassment can work like a poison, stiffening women's blood vessels,
worsening blood flow and harming the inner lining of their hearts”, said William Wan in
Chicago Tribune. Moreover, they have to suffer from mental issues such as depression, anxiety,
and other disorders, maybe the worst thought of suicide.
Women from all over the world can be in danger if this issue remains unaddressed.
Nowadays, there is more and more case of sexual harassment being unknown or keep in silence.
The damage that it took on women is more severe than we even expect. Their future and career
path are being destroyed by inappropriate behaviours, discrimination by people, or offensive
speech. The adverse effects may not happen immediately, but they will continuously affect the
victims future in the long-term.

2. Men and boys.

Not only women but also men and boys are the victims of sexual harassment. A survey in
2018 by Stop Street Harassment found that 43% of men and boys are sexually abused in various
forms, and 13% of those happened at their work among those who reported sexual harassment,
43% of men said it occurred at 17. “I was afraid of what people would think. I was ashamed that
a man sexually assaulted me…that I didn't fight hard enough” said Keith Smith – victim of
sexual harassment. Men and boys who have experienced sexually assaulted may suffer from the
same symptoms as most perpetrators of sexual harassment, but they may also face other
challenges. These challenges are the feeling of shame, self-doubt, depression or feeling less of a
man ( Rainn 2021).
In popular culture, there is a misunderstanding that sexual harassment against men is not
as significant as harassment against women. There are still hidden or unrevealed reports about
the case because many male victims of sexual assault remain anonymous because they fear being
dismissed or retaliated against for reporting the harassment.

3. Business
Business, firms and organizations are the ones who drastically affected by this social
problem. According to The Conversation, sexual harassment costs an average of US$22,500 per
employee in reduced productivity and employee turnover (Au 2019). Moreover, it may
negatively influence the company’s reputation; thus, reducing income and losing customer are
the consequences.
 The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) conducted that 67% of small
firms lack sexual harassment programs or training. Despite the scale of their company, many
small business owners believe that sexual harassment practices are unnecessary—unfortunately,
the actual cost may be beyond their imagination. This social problem is being undervalued and
underestimated despite its enormous costs to the firms. A single accusation of abuse will cost
thousands of millions of dollars in fines and other related expenses. Even big firms are no
immune to this issue. For example, in 2016, Apple has been sued by a Dallas man – Britton, for
hiring Mr Joey Taylor. According to Patently Apple, Taylor sexually harassed the male
employees in the store, including Britton himself. Although its influence is minimal to Apple,
this may bring harmful effects to Apple’s reputation.

IV. Problem Statement

The "Empathize" and "Define" stages above have defined and pointed out some major
impacts of sexual harassment in order to design the best strategies and solutions. Base on the
understanding and the dynamics that drive it in diverse sectors, such creative and feasible
measures should be taken to better prevent, respond to, and hopefully ending this social issue in
the "Idea" segment.
The design challenge question chosen for the report is, “How might we prevent sexual
harassment from happening in the workplace?”
Over the past decade, sexual abuse has been a universal problem over the world. Sexual
harassment in the workplace is a constant threat to the workers' and company's welfare. It has
far-reaching consequences that affect everything, including employee mental and physical
health, productivity, and prosperity. If this social crisis is unprevented, it will jeopardize our
future working environment and put the employees at risk of having the worst psychological
well-being, posttraumatic stress, and mental illness.
The problem cannot be avoided by reminding workers of the sexual harassment policies
or relying on punitive action. The company must take a constructive approach, provide
behavioral assistance, and address this issue as part of daily operations. A sexual assault policy
or a training process, for example, maybe beneficial. Another feasible solution is to raise public
awareness of the repercussions of the issue and appropriate behaviors. People who are
knowledgeable of harassing behaviors are less likely to engage in them and more likely to notice
some abuse. Being equipped with knowledge will assist employees in determining their
perceptions of sexual discrimination in the workplace. Actions need to be taken immediately to
create an ideal environment and a congenial work atmosphere that everyone feels safe to work.

V. Appendices
1. Katharine Taylor
 Journey map

Profile map

Decent working Better behaviors

condition
Feeling of safety
Fully recover
Raise awareness about sexual
Everyone's acceptance harassment

Free of fear Insurance money

Middle
income job
Share stories
Depression Injury Reduce sexual to motivate
harassment rate everyone
Being discriminate
Anxiety Fight for the
against
victims’ right

Feeling of insecure Fear of people

Shame gender suspicion

 Empathy map

-Insecure, stress , scared

-Poor working environment
-Career destruction
-Being discriminated by everyone
-Inhumane world
-“Why I am being treated like that ?”
-“Why do everyone look at me like that ?”
-“I don’t live anymore”
-“What can I do now?”
-Asking for family and friends help
-Want to stay away from everyone
-Sleep disorder, anxiety , depression
-Worried about the future
-Thinking of suicide
-How to get over this
-“why not dress secretly ?”
-“why not report the case ?”
-“Why don’t you fight back?”
-“I didn’t mean to do so”
-“I heard that you were being sexually abused”
-“Want to work here, you need to wear this “
-“You should fight for yourself”
-“Be brave”

Katherine Taylor

Employee

Persona

Katharine Taylor , 36
About
Katharine is a full-time employee in a joint-stock company in Melbourne.
Her boss has sexually abused her since 2019. For her, having a sustainable
income is everything to her. She needs money to afford the cost of living
and others.

Goal
• Find a new job that can ensure enough money to afford necessities.
• Overcome the fear of being touch by people.
• Have the courage to fight for her rights.
• Fully recover from the abuse.
• Being able to help other sexual harassment victims.

Frustrations
• Lack of money.
• Being discriminated against by co-workers and friends.
• Sleep disorder, anxiety and depression.
• Body aches and musculoskeletal injury.
2. Darious Houston
Empathy Map

-What can I do to prohibit sexual harassment at my

company?
-Worried about the company’s annual income
-Worried about the employees' health
-Employees being sexually harassed
-Angry, impatient, unable to work
-Bad influences on the company’s reputation
-Losing customers
-Reducing productivity
-Everyone is not concentrated on their work -Employees’ complains about being harassed
and abused.
-Customers’ reports about employees’ attitude
toward them.
-“You should create an appropriate working
environment”
-“Solutions will be taken to prevent sexual
-“You should do something to protect your
harassment ”.
employees”
-“We will ensure the employees a decent
working environment” .
-“Do whatever it takes to limit sexual
harassment” .
Darious Houston
-“Harassers will be sued and fired”

Business owner, CEO

Persona

Darious Houston, 40
About
Darious is an owner of a steel factory which has more than 1000
employees. He is currently living in Melbourne with his family. As a
business owner, the sexual harassment issue is dramatically reducing his
factory annual income and the employees’ productivity. He spends a lot of
time preventing the issue.

Goal
• Maintain is factory income.
• Prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.
• Ensure a decent working environment for employees.
• Support those who have been sexually abused.
• Keep a good reputation for the factory.

Frustrations
• Unable to find an optimal method to prevent sexual harassment.
• Angry and impatient because of the successive decrease in income.
• Worried about the employees’ health that can affect their productivity.
• Losing money to fines and other expenses such as insurance.
3.Emily Watson
Empathy Map

ngry, frustrated because the problem is s ll unaddressed.

Worried about employees future and career.
Determined to act.
Eager for helping others.
he impacts of sexual harassment on
vic ms mental and physical health
Destroying the vic ms career, family and life
illing thousands of people
Detrimental e ects on society What can I do to get over sexual abused.
What can I do to not being sexually harassed
How to prevent sexual harassment from
happening in my company?
What should I do if I was the vic m of sexual
harassment?
c on need to be taken.
We need to raise people s awareness.
eople need to be brave and ght for their
rights.
Why do companies not take sexual
harassment more seriously? Emily Watson
ur future is in danger.

Sexologist, ournalist, writer

Persona

Emily Watson, 56
About
Emily is a sexologist, journalist, and a writer. She lives in Brunswick,
Melbourne with her family. She has been fought for sexual harassment
victims for a decade. She is a woman of compassion and kindness.

Goal
• Eliminate sexual harassment forever.
• Help those who have been sexually abused to over their fear.
• Raise a charity foundation to help the victims.
• Raise others awareness about sexual harassment and its effects.

Frustrations
• How to find an optimal solution to eliminate sexual harassment.
• People underestimate the effect of sexual harassment.
• Need help from the government.
• Worried for the future of victims.
 VI. References
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Ingle, R, B 2013, Introduction to Design Thinking: In: Design Thinking for Entrepreneurs and
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