5 SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being – Grupo Apex

Group Reflection

Our group interviewed and researched Grupo Apex, a company based in Spain that has been producing and selling high-quality chips and snacks for over 40 years. Grupo Apex strives to sell high-quality products while continuously improving the nutritional value of their products by reducing the amount of saturated fat and sodium and removing ingredients like flavour enhancers, ensuring healthy lives. Grupo Apex is committed to making the production of its products more sustainable while improving the economies of the local areas where they receive their supply chain. They are committed to the UN SDGs of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages, promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all while ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns.
Grupo Apex saw in their daily lives the issues of sustainability, and they committed themselves to combat many of the problems like sustainability, health and employee wellness. Actions like reducing garbage, promoting gender equality, reducing waste and increasing their health and safety training Grupo Apex promotes positive corporate social responsibility actions while increasing contentment with key stakeholders like their employees, supply chain members and customers. Through listening to the Grupo Apex story, we concluded that Grupo Apex implemented corporate social responsibility due to sustainability with the value that sustainable actions bring in the present and future. In today’s world, businesses face high scrutiny with their sustainability, which Grupo Apex actively responds to with their constant actions and broadcasting of their sustainable actions while making sure that individuals in their supply chain also follow their sustainable practices. Working on Aim2Flourish allowed us to gain interviewing and international teamwork skills while becoming educated on real-life examples of corporate social development and learning about Grupo Apex and its role in the UN SDGs.

The story about Grupo Apex, they were able to find a healthy way to create delicious snacks for their consumers. They are also committed to all of their non-recyclable plastics to be able to use one hundred percent recyclable products. Another part of the Grupo Apex story is that they are committed to promoting gender equality in their workforce. Having a company that is committed to sustainability is such a positive factor for brands. Especially when for a snack brand it is a product that is consumed, and then thrown in the garbage immediately. Grupo Apex was able to see this issue and decide that they did not want to be a part of the issue, they wanted to be a part of the solution on this problem. As a consumer this is an innovation that would really resonate, because it is important for large firms to take part in being responsible for the way that their products are dealt with in a smart and sustainable manner. Grupo Apex is not just worried about the packaging that they sell to their consumers, they are concerned about staying sustainable in their internal business, and the way that their factories run. Having a company that is this concerned with sustainability is a huge positive, and gains them a lot more customers, because of how they are conducting their business. They are also committed to increasing their health and safety training, and reducing their absence rate to 5.7% by 2025. (Grupo Apex, 2023) As a worker this would be a huge positive to be at the firm. Employees will be more likely to stay long term if the firm is committed to their safety and increasing their safety training. It does not seem like much but the impact that this will have on their employees is massive in the way that their workers feel everyday, and they will in turn put more effort into their jobs if they feel like they are being valued at the company.

When asked about their story, Grupo Apex talked about how they often saw unsustainable actions in their daily lives and were driven to action because they wanted to create a positive impact on the environment, and we were able to connect that academically to the five driving forces of corporate responsibility sustainability where due to the heightened awareness of climate change, firms will integrate sustainable practices to appeal to key stakeholders. (Chandler, 2020) In class, we also learned the reasons why firms care about sustainability, with one of the reasons being natural capital, where there is a finite amount of resources in the world, and the cost of those resources may not be accurately priced to reflect their scarcity. (Chandler, 2020) Natural capital allows firms to prepare for the heightened costs of these finite resources while identifying any inefficiencies, which is exactly what they said to us in their story, acknowledging one of the main reasons they started focusing on the UN’s SDGs was because they saw inefficiencies in their supply chain while also saying that incorporating SDGs helps with their costs by throwing away fewer potatoes creating more profit for the company. On Zadek’s model, we said that Grupo Apex is civil as they promote their sustainable practices industry-wide and through every aspect of their company while being institutionalised where sustainable practices are known and expected by their customers and supply chain. (Chandler, 2020) One of the surprises of their story was how much Grupo Apex emphasises their supply chain, as in university, we often see businesses in the supply chain as external stakeholders with whom companies just have a business relationship, while Grupo Apex’s story emphasises how close they work with them and how they often involve them in their UN SDGs and goals. Through listening to Grupo Apex’s story, we recognized how important working with their supply chain is to completing their sustainability goals.

Examining the AIM2FLOURISH story has really had an impact on our future acts and ways of thinking. First of all, it has really transformed our thinking of business and the metrics around running a business to a much more methodical one. In the interviewing section, we have learnt how to ask the questions in a way that builds up to the intended purpose of the said interview. We have also learnt how to draft interview questions in a coherent manner, which does not bring rigidity to the interview, but creates a flow and makes it interesting. This has created a road map that will guide us in the near future when we will be starting our own businesses or even actualizing the ideas we have in mind. The sustainable development goals have also been a key learning point for us. We have been able to understand them deeply and how businesses contribute to their attainment. Many business owners don’t really know that they are solving one or more of the SDG’s but are doing so indirectly. Stories like AIM2FLOURISH help to bring the businesses to light, encourage them to continue doing good and also inspire other businesses to emulate them. Exploring the story has taught us to act prepared and have a lot of information at hand. Working as a team is always good as each member brings unique value to the table and also different ways of solving problems. Conflict or rather disagreements are also healthy as they help us understand one’s point of view and future ways of handling them and using the conflicts positively. Leadership has also been groomed in the course of writing the story as different members play a significant role in the assigning of tasks to each member, influencing members to be prompt in delivering the assigned tasks and also encouraging team members to air their views, feelings and complaints. This concept applies to assigning tasks to employees or subordinates in a corporate environment which we hope to join on completing school.

Having to work on this project has taught us all many things, the exchange of cultures and approaches has been essential. By applying what we learned in class about work dynamics according to culture, we understood the diversity of perspectives which allowed us to weave a unique range of proposals and new ideas. We underwood the importance of flexibility and adaptability.

Additionally, this experience taught us the importance of effective communication in diverse teams. The courses provided a solid framework for understanding and anticipating cultural differences in the work environment. Therefore, recognizing and valuing different perspectives, communicating more effectively, and solving conflicts constructively.

By integrating these lessons, we found that our collaboration was enriched, as the varied ways of addressing project challenges gave us a more complete view, aligned with the SDG’s. Lessons on group behaviour and intercultural dynamics allowed us to approach possible conflicts with empathy and understanding, thus improving our cooperation.

Through theory, we learned about the importance of communication, conflict management, and creating inclusive environments. This knowledge strengthened our ability to better understand intercultural dynamics. The work has been attempted to be divided as equitably as possible. In the first meeting, we collectively decided on the company we were going to interview (Apex Group – Spain) and completed Appendix 2 at that moment among the five of us. Since the company was Spanish, the interview was conducted through students from the University of Navarra, who contacted Mireia to schedule the meeting. The interview was recorded (with the interviewee’s approval), and as it was in Spanish, the students were also responsible for transcribing and translating it. As for the online story in Appendix 3, it was divided equally.

Overall, everything has worked well. We haven’t encountered major issues in any of the deliveries. As a team, we have understood each other well, and everyone has fulfilled their part. There is one participant who has not attended any meetings and left the WhatsApp group shortly after the project started. However, the rest of us have managed to carry the project forward. The only thing that may have been a bit challenging at times is scheduling the meeting day. Nevertheless, we have been able to compromise or find a convenient time for everyone.

Individual Reflections

Collins: COIL Fall 2023 has been an awesome and life changing experience for me. I have been introduced to different cultures, working with students from different parts of the world, learning new things and solving problems together. Moreover, I have gained knowledge on a variety of things including the metrics involved in interviewing a business, critically analysing it and being able to come up with a story based on the findings. During this period, I have also been able to manage my time very effectively as I juggled between schoolwork and the assignments given in the program. There have also been challenges especially in the scheduling of the meeting times due to the different time zones but we overcame this and managed to pursue the project to completion. The program has also enhanced my creativity as I have been exposed to different ways of thinking which has also broadened my perspective of business and collaboration. I am very honoured and thankful to have gotten this chance and also looking forward to working on such projects in the future.

Ethan: Overall, I greatly enjoyed my time working on the Aim2Flourish project with my group members. Working with people around the world gave me a perspective on how people from different countries approach their work while learning what it is like to bring all these perspectives together as a group. We decided to pick a company called Grupo Apex, and it was interesting to learn about a company based in Spain and what they value while comparing and contrasting it to the companies in Canada. When working with international group members, it was clear that one of the major challenges was going to be time zones where there was up to an 8-hour difference, and challenges arose trying to communicate on various aspects of the assignment when it was so hard to find a time where everyone was active. To try to circumvent this, we would vote on the day when we would meet at the same approximate time, and while some of us had to make sacrifices due to the time we would meet, through weekly meetings we were able to organise the rest of the week so that timezone differences would be a small problem. We had our meetings early in the week while trying to finish our work early in the week, so if we faced any problems related to our work, we could sort it out before the deadline, and any communication difficulties would be minimal. As we were meeting with people from different universities, we made sure as a group that we included everyone in our discussions, prompting people to share their ideas on the assignment and thus making sure we had a variety of perspectives. Communication was key while working with my international group, and I think everyone did a great job in communicating their opinions while being respectful and encouraging of other people’s opinions, which is why we were able to succeed. I learned the benefits and challenges of working in an international group, and through working on the Aim2Flourish assignment, I was able to learn a lot from my group members.

Lyle MacNeil, Overall I really enjoyed working on the Aim2Flourish assignment. It was a new experience for me. I have never had to work with so many different people from different cultures. Having chosen a company from Spain it was interesting to learn about how companies from a different country that I had never heard about conduct their business. There were some issues with communication just based on the time differences. It was difficult to find a time where everyone was able to do work at the same time. However we were able to come up with a solution for this issue. We would send a poll into our WhatsApp group chat to decide on the day when we would have our meetings, then we would decide on a time that was able to work for everyone in the group. Everyone in the group did their part effectively, and on time when we had work to be completed for the assignment. So, overall there were challenges with working with an international group, however it just took communication to be able to solve these issues, and after we did the group was able to conduct our work pretty easily together.

Julia Zulema Sanz, This activity has been quite interesting in the sense that I’ve been able to learn how students of my age work in other countries on different continents. Each person has their way of doing things, but there are still commonalities. We’ve managed to understand each other and make good use of our time. It was sometimes challenging to communicate through the WhatsApp group, as everyone responded at very different hours, but by being serious and committed, everything worked out well. At the beginning, we were all a bit shy, but over time, we’ve become more open. I am pleased with the outcome and the group work. I feel that, in terms of my future professional development, this activity has helped me feel more confident working with people from different parts of the world. With education and respect, many projects can be successfully carried out. In conclusion, despite cultural differences and the challenges of communication and time zones, I believe we all have a foundation that allows us to work together seamlessly.

Irene García, Thanks to this work, I have learned wonderful things. I have learned so much about environmental impacts and the SDGs. I thought I knew a lot about the subject, but with this project I realized that I didn’t. I didn’t know there were so many different ways to create an
impact on society nor did I know in depth what each SDG encompasses. Not only have I learned about sustainability, but I have also done it regarding experience. I am enormously grateful to have been able to work with my team and have learned so much. This experience has been a true catalyst for my personal and professional growth. Working in a multicultural team on a project has broadened my perspective, strengthening my ability to collaborate with diversity of thoughts and cultures. It has taught me to appreciate differences, communicate with empathy, and embrace flexibility in problem-solving. This experience has transformed me, giving me a more open and adaptable mentality, qualities that I will value and apply in every step of my career.

Conclusion:

We would like to thank Grupo Apex for allowing us to interview them for the Aim2Flourish project, and we are excited to see their UN SDGs be developed for a more sustainable and equal world. We would also like to thank Aim2Flourish for setting up these assignments, as we got to meet people from across the world and learn from them, which was a new experience for many of us. Learning and hearing the story about an international company committed to sustainable development while working with group members, all with their own unique perspectives, was enjoyable while also being educational, and although there were some challenges, we were able to learn from these challenges for the future.