2 AEO in Mexico

Team 2 Poster

Team Reflection

We think that the story of how this company began is how every business should truly begin with: values and passion for a common goal. We think that the fact that Jose Antonio and Xavier (the two beginning partners) both decided to begin a company which was very different from their careers, but wanted to have a commitment to having a positive impact on the environment and society is inspiring. We also believe that their intensive investigation, market research, and trials is great evidence of the desire they had of actually leaving a positive legacy in the world – which they found, through all the research and hustle, to be making sure that daily products and chemicals used for cleaning are made, processed, and sent in the most ecological way possible.

Finally, we found truly impressive how they are a sustainable company, without exorbitantly high prices, which also goes the extra mile in order to make sure that the relationships with the clients are well kept; not only to ensure client satisfaction and fidelity, but assuring that their values are also followed by their clients’ practices. Aro goes beyond making sure they comply with their own responsibilities, but attempts to spread their mission and practices to their suppliers and customers. We believe that this is further evidence of the true core of the company, and their intention of leaving good people in a healthy world. This tackles both problems: we live in a society where people wait for other people to try to stop global warming and clean the streets, etc., and that the world is, in fact, going through global warming and becoming more polluted and dangerous for our health. By reaching out to other companies and encouraging them to follow certain practices, and use Aro products, they already somewhat convert those other companies into sustainable ones.

As our whole group is enrolled in business degrees we have to face t5he topics about sustainability and economics on a daily basis. However sometimes it is hard to grasp that the theory we’re being taught is our actual reality. Getting insights of a real company that works in this sector helped us to understand the significance and relevance of these topics  and more importantly ultimately destroyed the false idea that economics and sustainability is boring. Especially one sentence, quoted by Jose Antonio Ortiz, that kept stuck in our mind was:“We thought a lot about the idea of, not only what world are we going to leave our children -, but what children are we going to leave our world.”, which shows the actual depth of the whole economic and sustainability trend we’re being reminded of on such a regular basis. In the course of our research a lot of information given to us did in fact connect to our previous economic knowledge, giving it practical insights. For instance ARO’s alignment with the Triple Bottom Line by focusing on people, planet, and profit. People are central to ARO’s mission, as shown by its commitment to personalized client relationships and prioritizing social responsibility. For the planet the company aims to reduce environmental impact through eco-friendly products, reusing packaging, and engaging in continuous research to ensure safe and sustainable products. Lastly on the profit side, ARO combines profitability with sustainability by controlling costs and tailoring prices, in this case by offering the products at slightly lower prices than most of their competitors, to encourage sustainable practices. Nonetheless the interview did  reach our limits of knowledge as well. In our case the founder interviewed intended to provide a chemical explanation as to why we need to control chlorine use and so on, which was definitely challenging to grasp having our knowledge as a basis.

Ultimately our insights and especially the interview did definitely our assumptions at some point. Looking at a business from the view of a customer or in general as an outstander we do not capture how there is so many little aspects that influence a company. Furthermore, which now seems obvious, we sometimes forget that the people working behind these companies are also just human, that make mistakes and do not know everything perfectly regarding the business, rather the business envelope with their knowledge. One comment out of the interview which made us smirk was that they flipped a coin on a decision which would impact not only the whole business but also the path of the founders life, which was who is going to leave the business. Aim2Flourish has definitely affected the way we think about our world as well as sustainable businesses. We didn’t realize the amount of extra steps a company with sustainability goals had to take in order to ensure excellence in products and services, like Aro does. We think that now we are able to further appreciate and support eco-friendly business, as well as our own sustainable practices. Now, we feel like paying the extra little amount of money that usually comes with purchasing an eco-friendly product is much easier, since we now know the whole process that the company and their workers took in order to bring the best solution and products into the market. Not only this, but we have learned to see these sustainable products are much more than just something “reusable” or that “doesn’t harm the environment”. We have learned that there is a positive relationship between the health of the world and our personal health; there is a positive relationship between helping ourselves and helping our environment. By talking with the team members, we realized that we are all on the same page that our outlook of the importance of sustainable businesses are, as well as our appreciation towards these companies. We definitely hope that this project has shaped us to consider the efforts that people, businesses, and organizations take in order to fight for an eco-friendly society and a healthy environment. When it comes to the future businessmen and women, we certainly believe we will consider sustainability as a key aspect of our businesses. We value and cherish the great impact and effect that the values we promote in our company can and should influence many more – which hopefully leads to growing awareness, growing clients, a healthier society and environment, and lastly, growing profit.

Building on our reflections, we’ve come to see sustainability not merely as a business objective but as a core value that can shape our personal and professional lives. This exercise showed us how values like environmental responsibility and social impact aren’t just add-ons they are fundamental to creating meaningful, long-term success.As future business leaders, we now feel more confident that pursuing sustainable practices doesn’t detract from profitability; it enhances it by building trust, fostering loyalty, and creating a strong brand identity. We’ve realized that sustainable choices, while often requiring extra effort and cost, ultimately contribute to a healthier economy and planet. Moving forward, we aim to carry these insights with us, not only appreciating the eco-friendly choices around us but also committing to integrate them into our future ventures. This experience has also solidified our understanding of the role businesses play in societal well-being. It’s a reminder that every decision we make as entrepreneurs and professionals can ripple outward, impacting customers, communities, and even future generations. With this mindset, we are motivated to lead with purpose and integrity, ensuring our actions reflect the values we stand for and inspiring others to do the same. This learning experience has given us the opportunity to do something we all have not done yet. The cross cultural experience gave us a perspective of how to interact with people across the globe from you. Understanding a person’s culture and sharing our stories, with respect strengthens our professional and personal views. Connecting and networking in this context hasn’t been practiced or emphasized. It is easy for a teacher/ professor to discuss these principles, but actually applying it and actually wanting to understand where we come from is so critical.

The information we learned in our classes greatly influenced how well we worked as a team on this assignment. We had a solid basis that improved our cooperation thanks to ideas like time management, conflict resolution, and efficient communication techniques. For instance, the team’s cultural variety and various time zones made it easier for us to prevent misunderstandings because to the straightforward communication strategies we learnt. By allocating duties according to each team member’s strengths, we also used our realization of the significance of clearly defining roles and goals. With this strategy, we were able to maximize everyone’s abilities and give each person a sense of importance within the team. We also applied project management techniques, such as organizing and establishing deadlines, which enabled us to overcome scheduling difficulties and maintain organization. Last but not least, the emphasis on cultural sensitivity in our classes helped us value and respect the distinct viewpoints of every participant. We became more understanding and patient with one other as a result of this understanding, which strengthened our bonds and enabled us to cooperate to achieve our shared objective. We mostly divided the whole task into smaller tasks which we separated between group members. We tried to be very active in the group chat in order to make sure we are getting everything done and that everyone is happy and agrees with the parts that were written. Even when some members couldn’t join and be active in the work, we tried to be active in the groupchat making sure everyone’s voices were heard.

What worked:

• Our meeting discussions, we were very productive on what we are doing, who is doing what and when.
• A fair spread of work, everyone contributed equally to the project and tasks with input
• There was lots of communication, everyone was active with what they were saying and would contribute fairly.
• We had a set date to plan meetings and we were very flexible and informative if we could not make it to the weekly meeting.

What did not work:

• It was sometimes hard to convey our ideas and what we mean by our points or discussions.
• Understanding time zones was difficult at times. Sometimes it would be hard to realize that someone can be hours before you or hours ahead of you. This could lead to miscommunication at times or work scheduling.

Individual Reflections

Ana

I learned a lot from this experiment in more than one way. I learned a lot about work culture, professionalism, and working with other cultures. I think that the participation was quite fairly distributed amongst our team and we worked well together. The online meetings were mostly productive and fun. When it comes to cross-cultural dynamics, I truly felt like there was respect between everyone, and there was not too much of a clash when it came to work ethics. Perhaps there was sometimes where some more anxiety was felt in terms of meeting deadlines and getting things done, however, since communication is so easy these days, everything was solved in a quick, friendly, and orderly manner. The multiple time-zones were handled quickly since we set a time and day of the week for each meeting which we knew worked for everyone and just maintained it, however, due to the time change in Spain, we all got a little confused and that week’s meeting was a little bit of a mess. Overall, I think our team was great in terms of communication, work ethics, and chemistry. We were all very respectful, got to know each other, and split things form work well, even though we did most of it together.

Johanna

Participating in this group project has been an eye-opening experience. In general it was a very enriching experience, because I’ve never done a group project like that. Working with people from different parts of the world has been very interesting, in order to get an insight about their perspectives and also seeing the way they work on different assignments. Moreover it was really nice talking to the people from our group and actually getting to know them on a more personal level. Nonetheless we did encounter a few challenges. The most obvious one was the different time zones. Finding a time which suits into everyone’s university, work and also free time schedule is already difficult, but considering the different time zones it is even more challenging. Our team still managed to stay flexible and meet up every week, despite those difficult circumstances, which in my opinion is really notable. The experience furthermore taught me how to work in a team in more difficult circumstances, in our case international and virtual team work, and how to adapt to those. At the beginning it was really hard for me to organize how to work like this, but through the time I got used to it and improved my adaptability to this kind of situation. Overall, I’m grateful for this opportunity and for each of my team members. I truly enjoyed our time working together, and I appreciate the collaboration, kindness, and motivation that each person brought to the team. This experience not only improved my teamwork skills but also helped me build meaningful connections that I hope to maintain in the future.

Layan

The experience of working with colleagues from different countries was very beautiful and influenced my understanding of other cultures. Each person has brought unique opinions formed from their backgrounds, which enriched our work. This experience taught me the importance of flexibility and communication with respect. Collaboration with colleagues from different countries has made me more adaptable and appreciative of diverse perspectives. This exercise also contributed to my understanding of sustainability in business, as learning about ARO environmentally friendly practices showed me the importance of making sustainable choices. I used to see environmental practices secondary to core business goals, but ARO’s success showed that sustainability can drive company growth and customer loyalty. I was particularly impressed with the bottle reuse program, which revealed the great efforts behind eco-friendly products. This project has impacted how I see my future career as I want to integrate sustainable practices into my business not only to attract clients but to create a positive impact on society and the environment.

Aroub

This was a new and enriching academic experience, where I learned the importance of collaboration in a virtual environment. I felt excited to work with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, and each member’s unique contributions added valuable perspectives that made the project even better. We encountered some challenges, such as coordinating virtual sessions due to different time zones and varying work schedules among team members. We also faced delays in completing certain tasks, which required us to work on them within a short period to finalize everything. However, these challenges didn’t hold us back. The team worked cooperatively, and we managed to complete our tasks within a remarkably short timeframe. This experience highlighted the importance of accepting differences in time, culture, and schedules, and adapting to changing circumstances. Each team member had unique commitments, and respecting everyone’s situation was crucial to achieving our goals. Overall, this was a positive and beneficial experience. I loved my team, and each member (Ana, Even, Adam, Layan,Johanna). I enjoyed working with all of you, and felt comfortable and motivated to complete our tasks. It was an enriching experience, and I thank each of you for your efforts and collaboration.

Adam

This activity and assignment has been very different from any assignment I have done. It has been a great opportunity and learning experience for all of us. Networking and communicating between the team has taught me alot on how to communicate with others from across the world. Sharing where we were from and exchanging information about our cultures strengthened our group, as well as discussing more about ourselves. It was easy to communicate freely through our group chat while setting up meetings, along with how we are going to complete the COIL tasks/ weekly submissions. At points it was challenging to account for everyone’s time zones and when everyone is able to work/ schedule, but I think that gives us the opportunity to make compromises, time manage and organize. My team (Layan, Aroub, Johanna, Ana and Evan)  were very kind and helpful through the whole process. I was always happy talking with them and was enthusiastic about our meeting. Overall, with the COIL project I made some awesome connections and friendships.

Evan

Coming into this activity, I had a plethora of expectations and assumptions about how the whole project would work, how the group would mesh together, and how we would be able to complete the activity effectively with each other. Now having completed it, I can say I am very thankful that I got the opportunity to work with everyone and put together a project that I feel is very interesting and educational. We had definitely faced obstacles, time-zones proved to be the main barrier in getting a common workflow sorted, but once we had a task on hand we could effectively execute it. With that said, my group’s willingness to communicate and be transparent with each other about scheduling conflicts made the project much less stressful to work on! Moreover, we did all of the little things very well. Asking for peer reviews/edits, double checking spelling, and being understanding of each other if a small mistake was made. I am very thankful for every member of my team; Adam, Johanna, Ana, Layan, and Aroub, for making this project happen and making sure all of us stayed on-track and responsible for our work. When coming into the project I had group members, but now I am coming out of this project with many connections and friendships from around the world.

References:

Venta de productos para limpieza. (2024a). Retrieved November 7, 2024, from Aro-pli.com website: https://aro-pli.com/productos/

Venta de productos para limpieza. (2024b). Retrieved November 7, 2024, from Aro-pli.com website: https://aro-pli.com/productos-quimicos/

ARO interview.(2024).Retrieved November 5,2024