28 SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation – Almotech

Group Reflection

Firstly, conducting an interview with the CEO of Almotech Enterprises was an incredibly insightful experience. Delving into the company’s vision and strategies, we gained valuable insights into the dynamic world of business leadership. A notable highlight was the emphasis placed on the pivotal role of the environment within enterprises, in this case its product Yenxa. It was created with an environmental purpose since it wanted to avoid the pollution produced by the oil, reusing it and converting it into laundry soap. We felt that was the best option as it suited everything we were looking for.

Almotech’s CEO underscored the significance of fostering a positive and inclusive workplace culture, acknowledging its profound impact on employee satisfaction and overall productivity. Furthermore, the interview shed light on the perpetual need for innovation in today’s market landscape. The CEO emphasized that continuous innovation serves as a key factor in maintaining a competitive edge, illustrating the enterprise’s commitment to staying ahead in an ever-evolving business environment. This engagement underscored the interplay between a nurturing workplace atmosphere and the relentless pursuit of innovation, painting Almotech success. Therefore, it fulfills the triple bottom line: social, environmental, and financial performance, in a successful way. We felt that it was a really interesting company since it also presented values that we really liked, such as perseverance, hard working, good treatment and open mentality.

Taking into account the cross-cultural experiences, the advantages of such a global venture were evident from the outset. Engaging with colleagues from different corners of the world introduced a mosaic of perspectives into our discussions. The fusion of ideas and approaches injected a creative energy into our work, fostering innovation and different types of ideas. The different ways of working have let us learn different tips and also learn how to deal with the difficulties that can appear in the organization due to different time zones and language(english for most of us was our second language, although with a little bit of effort we could understand ourselves correctly). The main issues we learnt thanks to the cultural differences were: extreme organization, knowing how to listen to different ideas with an open mind and knowing how to incorporate them in an innovative way.

In our weekly meetings we would assign and discuss tasks to each group member. This was a bit difficult because we did not keep a consistent meeting time and most times there would be two members who did not attend and participate in the meetings. This made it difficult for everyone because although we would assign each member a task they would not always complete it. This caused the other group members to have more work to do. At first the meetings were later in the week not leaving us a lot of time to finish each of our parts, however, we learned from errors and then we started organizing the video calls better taking into account each time zone and we completed the tasks on time and in a good way.
During the video calls we divided the assignment of each week and we tried to do it in pairs, with the one that wasnt of our same country for knowing us better and learning more about different cultural thinkings (for example: one from canada, another from spain and other of kenya did the poster).

Beyond the immediate project tasks, we consider the international collaboration opened doors to a broader professional network. Interacting with individuals from Canada, Spain and Kenya not only enriched our understanding of diverse business practices but also broadened our horizons, offering insights into global market dynamics that in the future can serve us. This is because before choosing the Spanish enterprise, we considered different ones from other countries and we observed their way of working and their values. It was a great experience knowing about them.

Furthermore, the project discussions naturally gravitated towards environmental and social responsibility. The contemporary enterprise is no longer confined to profit margins; it must also consider its impact on the environment and society. Our team’s dialogue incorporated the principles of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reinforcing the idea that modern enterprises need to be conscientious stewards of both the environment and society. Companies like Almotech are not just adapting to change; they are proactively driving it, recognizing that a harmonious balance between profit-making and sustainable practices is not only responsible but also essential for continued success in an ever-evolving global marketplace. This dialogue reinforced the notion that the integration of environmental considerations into business strategies is not just a trend but a fundamental shift towards a more responsible and resilient future for enterprises worldwide. We knew that environmental issues were present in companies, but we didn’t realize that was considered so important nor that so many details had to be taken into account when launching a product or service, it was amazing knowing how they started and how and how they completed all the stages until reaching their dream product.

To sum up, our experience in the international project was like a colorful mix of difficulties and triumphs. Beyond the complexities of dealing with different time zones and communication challenges, there was a wealth of varied viewpoints and a shared global mindset that characterized our teamwork. This adventure not only highlighted the benefits of working together across borders but also emphasized the crucial need for businesses to take on social and environmental responsibilities in our interconnected world.

Individual Reflections

Gabrielle: I really enjoyed the AIM 2 Flourish project, it was a great experience to work with students from different countries. The most difficult part of the project was ensuring that everyone could make the meeting that was held once a week. It was a bit of a struggle because of the three different time zones, everyone having different school schedules, extracurriculars and part time jobs. Unfortunately when we would meet each week usually two or more group members would not attend or participate in the discussion. As well when completing the assignments two group members did not contribute to the story or the poster. In the weekly meetings we would discuss what each person was expected to do. I and my other group members always contributed and were able to complete the assignments on time. I did not think it was hard to communicate with my group members even though English was their second language, they each spoke it well and it was easy to understand them.

Silvia: Working on a project with folks from Canada and Kenya was cool but sometimes tricky. We had video calls every week, and it was interesting hearing different ideas from people around the world. It felt like we were all in it together, learning from each other and making things better.
But, figuring out when to have our calls was a bit of a puzzle. Canada and Kenya have different time zones, so we had to be flexible. Sometimes, the internet didn’t cooperate, making it a bit tough to talk smoothly. In addition, there were lots of video calls where we weren’t all connected and when it came to making the posters and the story there were participants who did not work as much as others.
On the work side, we learned that being flexible and open to new ideas is super important. It’s not just about making money; businesses need to be okay with changing things up to do well. We also talked a lot about being responsible to the planet and the people. It’s not just a trend; it’s about making sure our work doesn’t hurt the environment and helps everyone, following those Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In the end, working together internationally was like a mix of challenges and good moments. It made us see things from different angles and made us think about how our work affects the world around us.

Kelvin: Working on the project with my colleagues helped me gain a lot from them since they made me start seeing things from a different perspective. The project promoted the essence of teamwork among all the members of the group as everyone pulled out together until we were able to tackle the project at hand efficiently. The project also helped us meet and share extra-curricular ideas with students from different races and countries thus gaining a lot from each and everyone of them.
However, there were a few challenges we came up with in the process of doing the project. The different time zones among the different countries somehow made it difficult for some of us to attend the scheduled meetings due to some impromptu commitments. Nevertheless, everyone tried his/her best to make sure he/she had contributed to the group project.
Lastly, working with students from abroad made me feel happy to be a part of a bigger opportunity and given a chance to understand other people better. I can say I really enjoyed it.

Mercy: Working on this project has really helped me to gain more knowledge on things that I didn’t know about and to think creatively. Also it has taught me that working together as a team is really such a nice experience since you get to learn things from different perspectives. Of course there are challenges like difference in time zone, language barriers and so on which has also made me interact with different individuals. It has taught me the importance of teamwork and helping each other.
The project itself has also helped me to be able to make good negotiation skills and give me courage since I get to interact with officials, helps improve my negotiation skills and helps me to sharpen my official speech since business language is a really important aspect to grasp. This project has also helped to sharpen my thinking capacity corporate wise since It had removed me from my comfort zone making me to work and push harder and be wiser to be able to deal with challenges, obstacles and to sharpen my thinking in so many aspects.

Santiago: Despite the language barriers, time zone differences and communication Team 7 demonstrated an excellent work ethic. Silvia, Isabel, and Gabi communicated in a timely manner and executed every work properly. I believe that my other teammates from Kenya could have contributed more but nevertheless they joined most meetings and were with us in spirit. The experience that I gained from meeting with international colleagues is something that I am grateful for. The interview for our selected company gave me insight on the innovations and sustainable changes that the world needs today. Learning about the different companies other groups found also showed me that different industries are willing to make a more sustainable future for our society. The most important aspect that will stay with me is the use of connections and clear communication. Businesses rely on trust to deliver products and services that create impact and development throughout the world. A society that is connected and relies on communication is a world that can work together to bring innovative products and services to keep our planet safe.

Isabel: I really enjoyed this activity. It was amazing getting in touch with other people around the world and sharing the experience of creating a company’s history and a visual poster about it. I learned a lot, on the one hand, about the company itself, it´s innovations, its critical ideas, its thoughts, their way of creating a sustainable company from scratch and getting it to a lot of people. I loved the fact of being a company clearly related with the SDG´s, I did not paid them a lot of attention, did not find them an essential part of my future company (if it is to what I finally dedicate in the future), however, this project has shown me its importance, the necessity of an enterprise to be related to some of the SDG goals because of their high influence on their achievements.
On the other hand, I really enjoyed working with people from abroad. In my opinion, it is always beneficial for everyone to share and to be open to do activities with people who have other cultural traditions, characters and ways of working in groups. Being always respectful and inclusive was necessary but I think that we did it very well. I learned little but important things for myself such as that being in silence for a moment was not necessarily uncomfortable but it’s great having a bit of time for thinking and for getting ideas from everyone for the poster, story or any other problem that came our way.
Finally an important thing that I thanked, I was amazed with and that I wanted to emphasize, was their trust on Silvia and I when we did not have the interview done yet. We told them if they wanted to change the company in case the CEO did not answer us (although we were pretty sure we would do it), we were risking our project, however, their attitude was glad and warm. They trust in us and were disposed to make an extra effort on doing the story and the poster in less days than expected because of doing the interview late. Was a detail on his part not to have received any criticism, bad face or complaint. A kind gesture that made me feel supported and made me realize of the great team we were being.