24 SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure – Kesho CA

Group Reflection

Kesho is a cloud-based accounting company established in South Africa. Through innovation and development, Kesho is digitizing its operations and undergoing a revolutionary shift. Established in 2010 with the aim of providing individualized services for the community, the organization has led the way in transforming financial services within its domain. The primary motivation behind digitization was the goal of offering clients committed and effective services in a world of rapidly advancing technology. When investigating about the company we were very surprised about how the company was doing and how they could develop technology in a non-technological environment with not too many resources. We are all very motivated, Kesho help us to increase our knowledge in different areas of the business world, such us: cross cultural learning, development on new technologies in companies and much more.

Some salient point from the interview that we want to comment is one extraordinary comment that Thandeka Moshesh, Kesho Manager and Business Advisor said to us. “Our sense of purpose comes from working together with people and partnering with companies to help them grow. The innovation of becoming cloud-based has made that very possible in ways we had not thought of before.” We think that this phrase that the interview said is the perfect description of a role model company. When we hear this reflection about the purpose of the company, we all were very happy, because in that moment we all know that we have choose the right company.

Also, through the assignment, we learn how to be culturally sensitive in our business dealings. The cross cultural encounter with Kesko strengthened the ideas of the practical application. It is imperative to comprehend and honor the cultural subtleties inherent in a business setting in order to make well-informed decisions and cultivate a positive rapport. We were able to clearly connect Kesho’s tale with sustainability, the triple bottom line, and accountability by placing it inside the context of our academic knowledge. The triple bottom line is subject to Kesho’s digitization revolution, which takes into account the environmental, social, and economic aspects. The narrative strengthened our comprehension of how companies may act as catalysts for positive change, tackling societal issues and promoting sustainable growth. When investigating about the company we were very surprised about how the company was doing and how they could develop technology in a non technological environment with not too much resources.

This investigation reveals the relationship between company choices and societal effects, refuting the notion that social responsibility and capitalism are mutually contradictory. Kesho demonstrates environmental sustainability and social consciousness, which encourages us to reevaluate the place of corporations in society. The way the company story questions our preconceptions of the traditional role of accounting firms caught us off guard. It highlighted how dynamic business is and prompted us to reconsider and challenge our preconceived beliefs. This tale serves as a reminder that companies may be effective instruments that actively address societal needs in addition to their bottom line. We were very surprised about how the company works and how they help the community with highly quality services to different business. It is important to remain that most of the clients of Kesho aren’t big companies, so that help us to understand that there is an important market gap there and an important future development in that area.

We are all very motivated, Kesho help us to increase our knowledge in different areas of the business world, such us: cross-cultural learning, development on new technologies in companies and much more. When we consider the story, we notice a shift in our understanding of the place of business in society. We envision ourselves as a group incorporating these into our thoughts and future actions. We think that this help us making us more conscious of how technology could be used in a business setting to drive positive social change.

We see a link between this exercise and our future roles as business professionals in certain years. Our understanding of the opportunities and responsibilities associated with managing businesses has been shaped by this investigation. Drawing inspiration from Kesho´s transformative journey, we anticipate a commitment to innovation, sustainability, and inclusivity in our future endeavors. Our group recognized the importance of outgoing communication in maintaining a cohesive workflow by virtual meetings. These meetings were scheduled to discuss progress, share insights and collectively brainstorm key relaxions. These meeting allowed us to real time collaboration, fostering a sense of collaboration, fostering a sense of connection teamwork.

In order to maintain a centralized responsibility, we used collaborative document sharing platforms. This facilitated collaboration and allowed us to review and comment on shared documents outside of scheduled meetings. Despite the effectiveness of virtual meetings, time zone differences occasionally presented difficulties for our team. In order to address this, we modified the meeting schedule by adding brief shifts that allowed everyone to attend.

In conclusion, our analysis of Kesho´s story has been enlightening. It prompted a reevaluation of our perpetrations of business and its potential for social goods. Kesho´s story serves as a model for integration of innovation and sustainability, challenges traditional business. As we move forward, we are inspired to be prepared for positive change, recognizing that business can be force for social good while remaining economically viable. This exploration has not only broadened our academic understanding but has also sparked a collective commitment to shaping a future where businesses actively contribute to building a sustainable and inclusive world.

Individual Reflections

Javier: Being a member of this virtual team demonstrated the complexities of cross-cultural collaboration and was a rewarding experience. Our conversations became more insightful and richer as a result of the diversity of perspectives brought about by the cross-cultural dynamics. But proactive coordination is needed to manage communication across time zones. We were extremely fortunate to find the gaps in the week for the meetings because it didn’t cause us to be sluggish in our group work. I also need to mention that I appreciated the team’s cooperation in adjusting the time zones to suit each member of the group and to further my knowledge as a student. One intriguing aspect of collaborating with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds is witnessing the smooth integration of our academic knowledge into our teamwork, which serves as a strong basis for our analysis. To address any misunderstandings in our ideas, I believe that these cross-cultural dynamics navigation required cultural sensitivity and open communication. However, it should be noted that not all team members—including myself—speak English fluently, so occasionally I would struggle to express my opinions.

Thabo: Being in this group was a great experience. We looked at a company called Kesho in South Africa that uses technology for accounting. It taught me that even in places without a lot of technology, businesses can use innovation to do good things. Kesho changed how I see traditional accounting firms and showed me how the business world is always changing. We also connected what we learned in class about sustainability and social responsibility to Kesho’s story, proving that businesses can make a positive impact on society while still making money.
We had some challenges with virtual meetings and different time zones, but we used online tools to talk and work together. Looking ahead, what I learned from this collaboration will probably influence how I approach my future job in business. I’m inspired by Kesho’s focus on innovation and helping society. This experience made me believe that businesses can be a force for good. I will conclude by saying, being part of this group wasn’t just a school task; it was a journey of learning and connecting. It showed me that even working online, we can achieve meaningful things together. Learning about Kesho made me want to be part of creating a world where businesses actively contribute to making it better for everyone.

Nhlantila: Firstly, I would like to give my appreciation to our great Professor. It would not be possible to achieve COIL mission, I want to say these whole heartedly, COIL has made it possible for us to interact globally with our peers who are doing the same studies to try and come up with solutions that our local and international brothers and sisters face daily. Having to learn about 25 Sustainable development Goal, that are a pandemic to our daily live as to people such as Poverty being crucial to our daily lives for survival as human beings. This opportunity has enhanced us to improve our network global, as to work as a team in different dimensions, working as a team it has helped us to improve our weaknesses and strengths. Being able to work under pressure as we had to prevail in our studies while staying up to-date with assignments. Improve time management for effective outcomes as we had to schedule our meetings. It has been a magnificent experience to work with my group members as they express professionalism and work ethics. Lastly, I would like to encourage COIL to do more of these opportunities where young people meet from different dimensions to discuss affairs of our world and ensuring sustainable world for future generations and better world. It was indeed a splendid experience to be part of COIL exploring Kesho’s innovation of accounting cloud. It really, inspired myself and having to learn more on the interview with the Manager and their daily positive impact towards surrounding community and strengthening South Africa institutions and law by ensuring business financial statements are Faithful represented and Relevant in compliance with IFRS ,GAAP AND IAS standards.

Vicki: This entire opportunity was a great delight for me to try something new. Facing the occasional challenges of having a language barrier or our different time zones being our struggles during the period of our project. However, being paired in a group with great team members helped make this entire project an ease to do. With great communication and coordination, it was easy to adjust to difficult problems of conflicting schedules between 5 of us. Being an exchange student in Canada, I am experiencing many new opportunities, and this project was one of them. Doing group work in university is nothing new but doing it with people internationally is something else. I think COIL and Aim2Flourish are great organisations to get a real view of the business world, where we can speak directly to company employees and see where responsibilities lie from ours to other groups’ companies. It ties in everything we learn during our classes and allows us to incorporate these teachings into out project. Coming from 3 different universities also helps as well, as it furthers the academic knowledge being brought to our group to help us with coming up with more ideas and opinions.

Callum: This Aim2Flourish project has been beneficial for me in several ways. Firstly, this project has put me in contact with fellow ambitious business students and future leaders from around the world. In this way it has helped me expand my network which could result in more opportunities in the future. Through this project I’ve gained experience in managing projects internationally. I enjoyed learning about life in South Africa and Spain from my colleagues. Going into the project I thought it would be a challenge to obtain an interview and to meet weekly as a group. However, I was relieved to find that our South African colleagues had steadfastly prepared an interview. Also, despite our differing time zones and schedules, we were able to meet every week as a team without much difficulty. The project has also been beneficial for me to learn about the challenges people face globally and how business can be used for social good. For example, Kesho Accounting helped me see the positive impact business can have in reducing poverty, especially in developing economies. Before the project I had taken for granted the power of cloud technology because it’s so common in Canada. Now after this project I can see how increasing the accessibility of cloud technology can be a big step forward in reducing poverty.