DBEDT Programs

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The goals of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) are to attract new business, stimulate private investment, create jobs, encourage the expansion and retention of existing companies, bring about structural changes to Hawaii's economy and facilitate an increase in productivity.

Hawaii ranks 17th in average gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. Our goal for Hawaii's economy is to rank in the top 15 states in the United States in terms of per capita GDP by the year 2010. Increasing the state's GDP and transitioning to a more sustainable economy will allow Hawaii's citizens to enjoy an increased standard of living.

In order to achieve this goal DBEDT has developed a strategy that will address near term constraints and lead to broader structural changes to Hawaii's economy.

Near term constraints include upgrading Hawaii's infrastructure, creating additional workforce housing units, and developing a highly skilled, flexible workforce.

There are two main areas of concern in regards to structural changes to Hawaii's economy: first, how Hawaii produces and consumes energy and second, moving our economy from one based largely on land development to an economy based on innovation and entrepreneurship.

The following six strategic directions will guide DBEDT's actions:

Workforce Housing
Create workforce housing units in high-quality living environments to support a skilled labor force in Hawaii.
Workforce Development
Develop, retain and attract a workforce with the skills required for an innovation-driven, globally competitive economy.
"Energy for Tomorrow"
Fundamentally change how Hawaii consumes energy, by accelerating the production of renewable and alternative energy, increasing energy efficiency, developing and adopting new technologies, ensuring energy security and long-term environmental quality, and returning benefits to the consumer.
Global Links
Increase the flow of people, products, services, and ideas between Hawaii and its export markets.
Creation of an Innovation Infrastructure
Create the infrastructure that enables Hawaii's creative and entrepreneurial talent to turn ideas into products and services.
Improving Hawaii's business environment
Lead public sector efforts to bring about a business environment that is market-driven, and rewards productivity and entrepreneurship.

How we measure results

The process of economic development is complex. DBEDT engages in a number of activities and must be certain that the state's limited resources are used to produce measurable results.

At the beginning of the fiscal year, the director articulates an overall economic development strategy. Managers are responsible for understanding the department's strategy and creating economic development programs that turn the strategy into actions that have an impact on Hawaii's economy.

To be able to better discuss and evaluate DBEDT program activities, in 2006 the department introduced the logic model, a standardized framework designed to produce three desirable outcomes:

Clearly link the services provided to the DBEDT's six strategic directions and the overall effort to improve productivity in Hawaii's economy.
Identify observable, measurable indicators of how services are impacting Hawaii's economy
Better inform all stakeholders through open access to plans and annual results.

Each program manager is responsible for creating its specific logic model and presenting an annual program plan, the Yearly Activity Plan or YAP, to colleagues for feedback, collaboration, and improvement. The Yearly Activity Plans for fiscal year 2007 are posted below by division and agency with the plan presentation slides.

We look forward to future improvements in our evaluation system and invite your comments.

DBEDT has adopted a logic model format originated by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which uses annual evaluations and measurements to identify changes to improve services and results.

More information on the Kellogg Logic Model can be found at (http://www.wkkf.org/Pubs/Tools/Evaluation/Pub3669.pdf).

Yearly Activity Plans

DBEDT Divisions

Creative Industries Division