49 SDG 15 Life on Land – The Body Shop

Group Reflection

In our Aim2Flourish story, we were able to explore The Body Shop’s innovation on ethical sourcing and activism at the company. Prior to the interview, our group collectively decided to approach the discussion with appreciative questions, aiming to extract insightful details from our interviewee. The conversation covered a wide spectrum of topics, including the organization’s various campaigns and initiatives. Upon completion of the interview and a thorough analysis of the responses, a clear picture emerged, illustrating the profound impact the Body Shop has had on individuals within our society. The Body Shop actively engages in advocacy and campaigning for social and environmental causes around the world. The organization clearly encourages all their consumers to become part of the movement for positive change and effectively empower the next generation. As a group we were also able to identify that the organization clearly aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals that are outlined in our course material. We were able to dive deeper into the understanding of the thoughts and emotions that the interviewer provided us with.

We found ourselves truly inspired by the Body Shop’s dedication to creating true positive change in our society. The store manager had a passion and commitment to the company that truly resonated with our team. This created a sense of optimism for our team about the future of businesses and how we can look forward to change for the greater good. Through critical reflection, we questioned how the story connected to our academic knowledge as a group. We were able to connect some of the concepts that we learned in class with some of the concepts that came up when interviewing the store manager, writing the story, and creating our poster. We particularly analyzed the narrative from the store manager of the body with a lens of sustainability. Upon writing the AIM2flourish story we were able to reinforce our understanding of the course material through some real-world experience. This demonstrated that businesses can actively contribute to social and environmental issues in the world.

As a group we reflected together on how exploring the Aim2Flourish story enabled us to change some of our actions and thoughts about SDGs and corporate social responsibility in the workplace. Through this real-world experience, we were able to comprehend how social activism consist of efforts to promote, impact or intervene in social, political, environmental reform. (Hoong, 2023) We were able to discuss together how this project shaped our perspectives as future business professionals. We were able to come together and imagine ourselves with a much clearer vision. When dividing the work we faced some challenges, as at first, we did not know what company was going to give us the interview, so once we found a company the ones that found it did the interview as they were the ones who first got in contact with them. Then we had to start working on the poster and the story, and at first, we did not know who was going to do what, so someone stepped up and tried to give everyone a role. This then changed as some of us were not happy with the outcome and thanks to good communication and understanding we sorted it out, dividing the work in two groups from the different countries. So, we were all happy at the end, we found out that having a leader is good, but for some things like dividing the tasks is also good to talk and say what we think to work through any problems that might appear.
The cross-cultural experience provided us with valuable insights that complemented our coursework.

As a group we learned that sustainability is not a one-size fits all concept and that it varies across all cultures due to the diverse values and norms across cultures. This allowed us to further comprehend the importance of cultural sensitivity in sustainable business practices. We all found that the coursework laid out a foundation and the significance of corporate social responsibility. The cross-cultural experience really allowed these concepts to come to life which revealed the dynamic nature when applied in different contexts. They all understand that successful sustainability innovations require a deep understanding of local cultures, emphasizing the importance of cultural intelligence in a globalized business landscape.

As a group we recognized that task allocation, collaborative meetings, and using shared platforms was the best way to use our time effectively as a group throughout our time as a team. The division of tasks really allowed us to base individual strengths and expertise to leverage each team members skills effectively. We were able to conduct weekly virtual meetings and use open communication to ensure that everyone was on the same page. These meetings also allowed us to brainstorm different ideas and problem solve when issues came up. As a group we recognized some aspects that did not work for our group. We recognized that we had some communication challenges. Although we had some instances where there was miscommunication due to different time zones and scheduling, we were able to come together and get our work completed.

Individual Reflections

Laura: Being a part of this team exposed me to some communication challenges, primarily stemming from the diverse time zones within our group. Overcoming the complexity of coordinating across multiple time zones was very difficult to overcome, yet we successfully navigated through this issue by establishing a clear line of communication through our online group chat. This platform became our main form of communication where we were able to address assignment concerns promptly and collaboratively resolving any issues that arose. Personally, delving into the exploration of business innovations for sustainability, particularly in diverse contexts, proved to be an enlightening experience. Recognizing the importance of fostering a collaborative environment, I realized that effective communication is crucial in navigating the intricacies of sustainability across different cultures. This overall encounter served as a profound reinforcement of the significance of adaptability and cultural intelligence—qualities that I foresee as invaluable in future endeavors. Despite the challenges, this experience solidified my belief in the transformative power of collaboration, underscoring that diverse teams can yield innovative solutions with effective communication strategies and a shared commitment to success.

Risky: AIM2Flourish makes a significant contribution to higher education by introducing me to the concept of business as an agent of positive change in the world. Through a strengths-based interview approach (Appreciative Inquiry) and the use of SDGs as a lens for studying positive business innovation, this initiative provided a valuable learning experience for me. However, there are several critical considerations regarding AIM2Flourish. First, this initiative is currently intended as a professor-facilitated assignment as part of a higher education curriculum. This may limit access for me who wants to participate independently without direct involvement from the professor. In addition, there is a need to ensure that the story written meets the basic requirements, such as the selected company has maintained profitability for at least two years with the innovation carried out. In the context of higher education, AIM2Flourish can be an integral part of efforts to accelerate SDGs-related education at universities. However, to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of this initiative, there needs to be strong collaboration between universities, industry, and government. This is in line with LLDikti Region III’s commitment to improving the quality of higher education in its environment so that it can inspire Indonesia. Thus, while AIM2Flourish has made a positive impact in higher education by teaching me about sustainable business, there is still room to improve accessibility, sustainability, and cross-sector collaboration to strengthen the contribution of this initiative in achieving sustainable development goals.

Xabier: This experience has been very enriching for us, not just because of the cross-cultural fact, but also for the business knowledge gaining side. We, as a group have done a great job at communicating with each other, dividing tasks and scheduling for meetings. Previous learnings of each culture’s behavior and working dynamics have been an advantage for us. Moreover, the first meetings were crucial, in them we stated what international apps we were going to use to communicate between us and share our work (Google Docs, Google Meetings, WhatsApp…) Furthermore, the commitment of every member of the team has been very helpful so that we could start straight away with the work. One of the hardest challenges was to deal with the different time zones. Canada, Spain, and Indonesia have a great time zone difference and sometimes this caused a problem to meet. Once, there was a time zone change in Spain and we had a misunderstanding, we expected to meet one hour before. The cross-cultural experience has taught us to work with people we don’t know personally, moreover it has developed our communication skills and improved our confidence. This project has also provided us a wider view of how companies work, not only in terms of accountability but also in terms of the social part of the business. Sustainability happens to be a very important factor in this social part of “The Body Shop” and we have learnt a lot from it. Innovation has also been a major factor in this project, it is the creative part of the company, and “The Body Shop” is a clear example of an innovative business. In general, this project has been a great experience that with no doubt will be very helpful soon when we face international challenges.

Matthew: As a team member, the AIM2Flourish exploration was a big learning curve. Navigating virtual collaboration presented challenges with cross-cultural dynamics and time zones. Honest communication was key. There were times where we had to be very vocal on when to meet if it were 1am for someone and not the other person, but at the end whatever worked it was what we had to do. I was in charge of figuring out the impact, social and environmental benefits which really showed me a lot in regard to innovation toward the body shop. Acknowledging diverse perspectives fostered creativity, but it required patience to bridge cultural gaps. Successfully managing multiple time zones demanded flexibility and understanding. There were hurdles, yet the experience was rewarding as it pushed us to refine our communication strategies and develop a cohesive virtual team. Overall, it went well, personal growth and a strengthened appreciation for the global aspects of teamwork in a virtual environment. Our understanding of how businesses operate has also expanded because of this initiative, both in terms of responsibility and the social aspect of the enterprise. We have gained a great deal of knowledge from this social section of “The Body Shop,” where sustainability is a crucial component. This initiative has also benefited greatly from innovation, which is the creative aspect of the organization. “The Body Shop” is a prime example of an inventive firm. Overall, this project has been a terrific learning opportunity that will undoubtedly be very beneficial when we encounter global difficulties soon.

Kiki: From joining this collaboration, we finally know that this project aims to accelerate the shift to a business mindset for good by recognizing the positive impact of today’s business leaders and changing the way future leaders are educated. We study business as an agent of global benefit through interviews with business leaders around the world, using the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a lens to study positive business innovation. Through this collaboration, our group-built trust in each other so that we completed all the work on time. We are aware of the strengths that each member of our group has, so that when carrying out a task, they can complete it with extraordinary creativity. and we also build strong relationships so that we can support collaboration and cooperation within the group to contribute to the strong growth of our group. What we failed to achieve at first was communication. because the time zone differences in each country make it difficult for us to communicate with each other. I believe the key to success in a group is good cooperation from each member. I am very grateful to every member of my group because we were all able to complete the tasks and responsibilities given to us well without burdening each other. I hope to work with them again in the future. and for this collaboration I hope it can continue from year to year because this is what future leaders need in building their businesses.