Rural, resource-based communities are vital to Canada's economic foundation but despite the importance of these communities, their individual lifespans can often be fleeting due to the susceptibility to boom and then inevitably bust. Economic development officers, the individuals charged with fostering economic growth, sometimes struggle with challenges that the author hypothesizes could be enlightened by exploring different disciplines. This research will explore economic development and business strategy as they relate to economic development officers. The goal is to identify considerations to broaden perspectives and elevate the awareness of economic development officers to augment their strategic planning process. The analysis aims to present reasonable evidence that turning to alternative disciplines, specifically in the case of economic development in rural Canadian resource-based communities, can yield encouraging results. The author hopes these findings will encourage others to consider the exploration of alternative disciplines and the implementation of foreign concepts in their daily occupations. --Leaf ii.
