63 Biotrailla in Spain

Team 54 Poster

Team Reflection

We are a team of six members from different countries: Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Canada. Together, we worked on a very exciting project about a company called Biotrailla. This company focuses on sustainability and is dedicated to protecting the environment. Biotrailla does important work in areas like energy conservation, environmental protection, and using materials that are good for the planet.

Our project began with a preparatory meeting where we all came together to discuss what we would do. We talked about our tasks and decided how to divide the responsibilities. Some of us would write the story, some would interview the company, and others would design the poster. We were happy to find a company to interview because we had specific criteria to guide our choice, and Biotrailla met those requirements perfectly.

Before we started our work, we felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. This was a new experience for all of us, and we saw it as a great opportunity to learn something different. Some team members were a little anxious because it was our first time working with people from other countries, and it is completely normal to feel this way. However, as we began our work, our excitement grew, and we became more comfortable with each other. We also felt some pressure because we were trying to balance this project with our other studies. Even with these challenges, we found solutions, especially with the guidance of our supervisors.

Throughout our project, we faced several challenges. One major issue was the lack of time. Since we were all in different time zones, it was difficult to find times to meet. We also had some unexpected situations that happened while we were working. Despite these problems, we learned how to work together as a team. We supported each other to achieve our goals and reduce the stress we felt. One great thing about our team was that everyone wanted to do their best. Each member was eager to complete their tasks well, and we helped each other along the way.

From this project, we gained a lot of experience. Even though we came from different cultures, we found ways to succeed together. Working together increased our sense of responsibility. We felt more appreciation for each other’s efforts. To help us manage our work better, we decided that two people would focus on doing the interview with Biotrailla. After that, the rest of us would write the story and create the poster. This division of tasks helped us complete our project with high quality.

Through this experience, we learned how important it is to communicate effectively. We met several times to discuss our tasks and to make sure everything was going smoothly. We also realized that cooperating with one another made our work more enjoyable and productive. Flexibility was another important lesson for us. When challenges arose, we learned to stay calm and focus on finding the best solutions.

Trust among team members was crucial for our success. We trusted each other to do our work well and to help one another. This spirit of joint responsibility made us more committed to achieving our goals. It also helped us develop our technical and social skills, which are important in our personal and professional lives.

Working with a cross-cultural team was a truly unique and rewarding experience. It helped us understand different cultures better and see the similarities that exist among them. Each team member brought unique ideas and creative solutions to the problems we faced. Even with our differences, we learned to adapt and be flexible, which helped us expand our knowledge and improve mutual respect. We enjoyed working together on this project, and it was a lot of fun.

Our supervisors had a significant impact on our project. They provided us with support and guidance, which helped us stay on track. They were always available to answer our questions or help solve any problems we encountered. Thanks to their help, we were able to complete our work with high quality.

Looking ahead, this experience will be very valuable for us. We gained knowledge, skills, and experiences that will help us in our future careers. This project taught us individual and social skills, increased our cultural awareness, and showed us how to work well in a team. We hope to have similar opportunities in the future because this was such a wonderful experience.

Moreover, working on this project highlighted the potential for businesses to be a force for good in the world. Companies like Biotrailla show that it is possible to achieve economic success while also taking care of the environment and supporting local communities. When businesses commit to sustainable practices, they not only help the planet but also inspire others to follow their example. This encourages more companies to adopt responsible practices, which can lead to positive impacts on society.

By prioritizing sustainability, businesses can foster innovation and create new job opportunities that benefit everyone. When companies work to protect the environment and support local communities, they build trust and loyalty among customers. This trust is essential for long-term success and can lead to a positive reputation that attracts even more business. We learned that being responsible and ethical in business is not just good for the planet; it’s also good for profits.

In conclusion, our experience working on this project taught us a lot about teamwork, communication, and the importance of cultural understanding. We saw firsthand how a business can contribute to social good while also succeeding in the marketplace. This is a lesson we will carry with us in our future careers, where we hope to make a positive impact just like Biotrailla.

Individual Reflection

Fernando’s Individual Reflection

I have many thoughts and personal insights regarding this project. I will structure my personal reflection as follows: First, I’ll give a brief overview of the project and my initial expectations. Then, I’ll summarize the key lessons and benefits I believe I have gotten out of it, as well as the challenges I have personally faced and how these challenges have been successfully overcome. I’ll finish with a short conclusion.

I took part on this project as part of a university course I’m enrolled in called “Economy and Society for a Sustainable Environment”, or as we call it for short, ESSE. I am an Economics major here at the University of Navarra, and in this course we learn about many different topics, including globalization, trade, migration, climate change, etcetera. But part of the course also deals with business, in particular how businesses can contribute to the UN’s SDGs and have a positive impact on the world. And this is where the Aim2Flourish project comes in. Initially, I was a bit uncomfortable and nervous at the prospect of working with people I didn’t know at all, and who come from completely different parts of the world. This is my first experience working with an international team of people, and the experience has proved that my initial fears were unfounded.

For our story and poster, we chose a Navarra-based company, Biotrailla, an organic agricultural business focused on sustainability. In the story and the poster, we explain in detail how this company, even though a priori it might not look like the most disruptive business in the world, it is actually a pioneer in sustainability and eco-friendly agriculture, setting a standard of how all agri-food businesses should strive to be.

Personally, this project has taught me some valuable skills and lessons. First of all, it has made me realize to what extent cultural differences can enrich and enhance teamwork. It has been really interesting to hear the opinions, perspectives and ways of working of people from Canada and Saudi Arabia. At the same time, it struck me that we aren’t really all that different. We are much more similar than one might think. After all, we are all students, about the same age, studying similar degrees, and we have similar goals and aspirations, no matter how far we are to each other geographically.

Also, I this project has helped with my time management skills and flexibility. Being so far apart means that the time difference is huge, and given that each of us has different timetables, assignments, exams, etc, it is not easy to coordinate among us. Working in an international team means you sometimes have to make sacrifices, and think not about yourself, but the team. It means putting the common good of the team before my own convenience.

This project has also honed my communication skills. Given that most of us are not native English speakers, there has sometimes been some difficulty getting the message across. However, with patience and understanding we have managed to overcome any language barrier and communicate effectively.

Regarding the challenges I have personally faced over the course of this project, 2 come to mind. First of all was the challenge to stay on top of the work given the fact that this semester I am up to my neck in assignments and exams. Indeed, this is the hardest semester for 3rd year Econ majors at the University of Navarra, and at times I have been overwhelmed with the workload. However, I have succeeded in overcoming this obstacle through a combination of working harder than I normally do and also improving my organizational and time management skills.

Another challenge we had to face had to do with the interview. Once we had already prepared the interview questions and scheduled the interview, some extraordinary and unforeseen circumstances prevented the interview from happening. In the end, we managed to have the interview one week later. This has taught us the importance of flexibility and adaptability in team work. Unforeseen events can happen and disrupt our plans, and being able to adjust timelines and expectations is very important. This delay also taught us the value of effective communication, as we had to reschedule and re-coordinate as a team. It reminded us that persistence and patience are crucial skills.

Through this project, I’ve gained skills and lessons that I believe will be incredibly valuable in my future career. In today’s global economy, the ability to work effectively across cultures and time zones is increasingly essential. Learning to navigate these differences while focusing on shared goals will be a great asset as I enter the workforce, especially in an international context. Additionally, the skills I developed in time management, flexibility, and clear communication will help me adapt to complex situations and prioritize collective goals in any role I take on. Overall, these experiences have prepared me to handle the dynamic challenges of a globalized work environment and have deepened my commitment to sustainable, impactful business practices

In conclusion, this project has been a very enriching experience, taking me out of my comfort zone and teaching me many values, such as flexibility, patience, and collaboration in a diverse and international setting.

Alfonso’s Individual Reflection

There are many things to take into consideration in order to have a good and explanatory individual reflection. I am currently studying Business Administration and Law in the University of Navarra, currently in the 3rd year. The subject “Economy and Society for a Sustainable Environment” is being quite fascinating, not only because of the normal material and lessons but also because of the Aim2Flourish project we had to do these past weeks. Personally, having to connect online via Zoom with other people wasn’t the first time (mainly because of all the online lessons while Covid-19), in spite of having used Zoom, I never had the amazing opportunity of having a meeting with people from other countries, in my case from Canada and Saudi Arabia. At first, I was nervous because I hadn’t the slightest clue of what to expect, I didn’t know my teammates, their personality nor their different cultures. However, this all helped enhance my communication skills, the right way to interact with people outside your comfort zone. Working with people from your own country isn’t the same with internationally having to coordinate the amount of work, the time differences, all with the due respect to them. My coordination and organizational skills were improved exponentially with this project because we had to do different activities during the same week and coordinate considering the time difference between, not two, but three different countries.

The first thing we decided to do was to create a WhatsApp group to have a better and immediate interaction with the rest of the teammates, this was a really good decision rather than writing each other via e-mail.

We organized the work in different sections, two of us did the interview and its transcription into English in order of the rest of the group to work. We looked at the Aim2Flourish website in order to have a good understanding of the type of questions we had to ask in the interview which I believe, improved our research ability. Then we divided the poster and the story, knowing I am Spanish, and that English isn’t my first language, the story helped improve it. An important reality are the sudden drawbacks we faced as a team with the interview. In everyone’s life there are moments that, when you least expect it, you have to come up with a new plan due to an unforeseen event. This happened to us. Despite this, we were able to inform the teammates, meaning, we managed to coordinate and organize the inconvenience perfectly and it turned out fine.

Finally, another important virtue is responsibility with the rest of the team and with the enterprise. This meant, making the interview with respect but also, trying to open the conversation to new information in order to facilitate the work to the rest of the teammates, getting everything on time, and not being simple but rather curious with the section that was in your hands and also, to the enterprise, not making public any private, confidential information and letting them know how the project was evolving as a whole. To conclude, I would like to thank the teammates and instructors for helping us along the way. Learning new skills is always important as well as working internationally, which nowadays is more common.

Aryaf’s Individual Reflection

It was a fulfilling experience that deepened my awareness of cross-cultural cooperation to take part in the experiential activity with students from Canada and Spain. Knowing that we were all focused on achieving the objectives of sustainable agriculture and environmental responsibility through Biotrailla gave me a great feeling of purpose as a team member. Moreover, managing cross-cultural interactions was instructive and challenging at the same time. Our diverse origins affected our viewpoints and approaches to problem-solving, often revealing unexpected perspectives and solutions. I tried to be kind and receptive, appreciating the variety of viewpoints that each participant contributed, which helped me grow personally and develop a more global mindset. This openness cultivated a collaborative environment, where everyone felt encouraged to share their ideas and opinions. We engaged in discussions that were sometimes intense, yet respectful, leading to a stronger team dynamic and richer contributions overall.

Another essential component of our partnership was effective communication, which we recognized early on as a crucial factor in achieving our goals. To address challenges like varying communication styles and language barriers, we established a few ground rules and relied on tools like WhatsApp to enhance understanding. This platform enabled us to communicate quickly and informally, which was particularly useful for clarifying information in real time. Recognizing the potential for miscommunication, we scheduled regular meetings and set clear agendas to ensure that everyone understood their roles and responsibilities. Additionally, we prioritized sending out consistent, detailed updates, which enabled us to clear up any misunderstandings quickly and helped everyone stay aligned on project milestones.

However, managing different time zones emerged as a practical challenge that required patience and adaptability. It was difficult to find times that worked for all participants, but this process taught me to be flexible and mindful of others’ schedules. By taking turns to accommodate each other’s time zones, we demonstrated mutual respect and strengthened our commitment to the project. This flexibility allowed us to build positive relationships and foster a strong sense of teamwork. Our efforts to compromise in terms of scheduling were key to creating an inclusive and supportive environment.

Overall, my participation in this virtual team was an invaluable experience that highlighted the importance of adaptability, respect, and collaboration in a global context. The successful completion of our project was a testament to our ability to navigate these challenges together, and it reinforced my understanding of what it takes to thrive in a multicultural and cooperative environment.

Aidan’s Individual Reflection

It was a unique experience to participate in a project with such a diverse crew with different perspectives. I took on this assignment with an open mind, knowing there was potential for conflicting opinions and ideas on how to go about the task. But I am pleased to say we achieved our goals through fluid communication, mutual respect, and a shared drive to complete this assignment the right way that would showcase how special of a company Biotrailla is. Back when I chose my company (Anytime Fitness), I was deadest on having them be the one we proceeded with. However, I quickly found out that everyone in this group had a serious passion for the work as well, and they all made considerable efforts to explain how their chosen companies tackle multiple SDGs. We came to a mutual decision that Biotrailla was not only hitting multiple SDGs, but they do it because they genuinely want to see this world become a better place.

The main challenge group 54 faced in my opinion were the conflicting time zones, that sometimes affected our ability to communicate effectively and efficiently. Despite this impasse, we were still able to communicate our opinions and let each other know of the progress we’ve achieved as well as the work to come. If anyone ever missed a meeting, they could reach out to our chat or a teammate to receive the relevant information regarding the past and upcoming weeks.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience in this project and there is a lot I can take with me as I move on with my career.