83 Bidaia in Spain

Team 94 Poster

Team Reflection

During our interview with Diego from Bidaia Travels, we gained a deeper understanding of the intersection of cultural sensitivity and sustainable practices in the travel sector from our cross-cultural experience. In the interview, Diego explained that Bidaia Travels’ mission is to make the travel experience both economical and environmentally responsible which lines up with our coursework on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN and corporate ethics, in this context the SDGs are climate and action. Diego’s decision to help local companies that are environmentally friendly and collaborate with eco-friendly airlines is an example of corporate social responsibility that eventually minimises Bidaia’s environmental effect. We also noted that the company helps their clients cut down on their travel-related carbon footprint and this supports Goal 13 of the SDGs and also encourages airlines and other partners who are dedicated to reducing emissions. Furthermore, in addition to boosting local economies in Mexico and Spain, this business strategy enables Bidaia to stay ahead of the competition by providing distinctive experiences that are reasonably priced and true to local culture.

Our understanding of the course material gave us a strong foundation for our group work, especially when it came to when it came to strategic planning, sustainable development, and moral decision-making. We fostered an understanding of how to reach our objectives and a common understanding of objectives that went beyond profit by learning about ideas like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This practice helped all of us understand and identify the goals that guided our united efforts. For instance, we used our knowledge about CSR from class in our meetings and strategies, helping us foster morally sound guidelines for our collaboration with Bidaia Travels. In order to ensure that our work would have an impact we decided to incorporate moral behaviour and social responsibility into our project plans and recommendations. Our team’s shared dedication to sustainability provided us with a similar goal and direction, which improved team cohesion and sustained our motivation.

Looking at how the work was conducted and shared, each deliverable was given to the two students from each school which would cut the work of this project into thirds making it more manageable for all members of the group. The poster was assigned to the University of South Wales students, the interview and the story were assigned to the University of Navarra students, who then translated and shared the transcript with the rest of the group, and lastly, the reflection was assigned to the University of Guelph students. After the deliverables were delegated by the school each deliverable was split up between the two students. We stayed in communication through weekly WhatsApp calls and texts through the app but from then on, the work was more independent or duo work than group work.

When looking at all the work our group did on this project there were certain things that worked well and other things that didn’t. Two examples of things that went well were our group successfully delegated our work between members to ease the workload and make the project more manageable for each of the group members and their assigned deliverables. The second example was we successfully utilized all available resources which helped get us more set up for the up and coming interview the resources included materials such as an interview guide and interview examples that we used to create questions with more substance than before and to create more precise questions about what we wished to know about the business. Some of the struggles we had included a late start to whole team communication with some members of the group joining slightly later but we managed to overcome this through the use of the communication app WhatsApp to stay more connected as a group. One more example of slight struggles throughout this project is that we had delays getting different deliverables done, not using our time in the most efficient manner causing backup in the other deliverables which required previous deliverables to be completed or started first. However, we were quick to reach out to each other and overcome our slight communication errors promptly, ensuring that the deliverables were done on time.

Overall, interviewing with Bidaia Travels had a meaningful impact on us both personally and professionally. It gave us a vital viewpoint on how a company can create change in the world through practices of corporate social responsibility and still be able to turn a profit. The significance of being considerate of general societal and environmental standards can be used as a great base for creating and starting any company as well as giving your company more validity in the eyes of the consumer.

Individual Reflections

Bani:

Working in this team brought back memories of my time at an international school in Vietnam, where I was exposed to various languages, viewpoints, and cultural practices that continuously expanded my perspective on the world. Thus, being a part of this team gave me insights into how every university works differently and how it shapes our thought process when understanding lecture material and going about assignments. The COIL project benefited from the depth that each team member’s distinct expertise brought, which helped us tackle problems, for instance, if one of us from Guelph didn’t know how to do a certain section we got help from the others and vice versa and this was due to the diverse perspectives and tactics we have. The foundation of our group and the principles we set were open, honest, frequent, transparent communication, ensuring everyone’s opinions were respected and heard. The atmosphere we created allowed us to feel comfortable with roles and responsibilities even when we weren’t sure what to do. Our effective communication and assigning work based on our strengths resulted in producing good work for this project.

Declan:

This experiential activity had me look at the business world from a global perspective and allowed me to view how companies across the globe are fighting to make the world a better place in their own ways. This activity also opened me up to the way different countries conduct their work and everyday tasks to achieve similar goals through different means. There were some challenges when working with a cross-cultural team such as the time zones making it more difficult to find a meeting time that can allow everyone to attend and the different schedules putting another hurdle in the way. We were able to navigate these challenges as a group successfully and were able to avoid obstacles and mistakes through clear communication about expectations and the work required of each of us while still being able to remain organized in delegating our deliverables to different schools to ensure a more seamless handing in of our final product with the use of WhatsApp as our main source of communication.

Dylan:

In my opinion, I felt that the COIL project was an exceedingly engaging and educational experience that I feel has provided me with a newfound understanding of the state of sustainability and ethics in the modern business environment. To elaborate, this activity has allowed me at least to get a ground-level perspective on how sustainability is handled by small to medium enterprises. However, I feel that my greatest takeaway in this regard is how important the base ideology and ethics of a business is, as I have seen the great differences between companies that started with sustainability at their core and those that masquerade with it for avarice’s sake. To be specific, this initiative allowed me to see how predatory the travel agency can be with unethical practices such as price gouging and emissions-spewing transportation. Meanwhile, it also showed me that the travel agency business model can be done ethically with ethical pricing and sustainability-focused guides and venues.

On a different note, the COIL project was also a fantastic opportunity for me to gain experience working with people on a global scale, allowing me to see both the benefits and challenges it brings with it. The greatest benefit I felt was the great difference of perspectives the opportunity provided. This allowed the project to progress swimmingly due to the variety of ideas the team could levy against any problem. In addition, the global nature of the team positively impacted the team’s connections and networking ability with potential business interview candidates. This was due to our range of life experiences providing us with a bevy of contacts in the business world that we could utilise.

It must be said, however, that the greatest difficulty we faced was with time zones and scheduling. This was due to the fact the great variance in the team’s work-life made ensuring our meetings were convenient for each member difficult. Despite the great annoyance and stress this created, however, I still believe the COIL project was worth experiencing as it showed me the pains I will have to endure and grow accustomed to when I join the wider global workforce. Lastly, regardless of the issues we experienced, I feel that overall, the COIL project was one that I thoroughly enjoyed, due to the new people I engaged with, how much I learned about sustainability in the modern business world, and above all else the importance of ethical behaviour and values within a team.

Alvaro:

In my opinion, the COIL project was not only one of the most interesting projects I’ve worked on, but it also taught me a lot about ethics and sustainability in today’s corporate world. This experience gave me the chance to see how small and medium-sized businesses view sustainability. The biggest lesson I learned was that a company’s core ethics and values matter a lot. There’s a clear difference between companies that prioritize sustainability and those focused only on profit. This project also helped me see the travel agency business model’s problems, like price gouging and environmentally harmful practices but also showed me that travel agencies can operate sustainably with fair prices and good practices.

The COIL project was also valuable because it involved working with people from different parts of the world, which had both benefits and challenges. The best part, in my opinion, was the diverse perspectives we gained from our team members, who offered various solutions to problems, making the project run smoothly. Working with a global team also helped us network better, as our cultural differences gave us more business contact opportunities.

However, scheduling meetings was challenging because of time zone differences. It was hard to find meeting times that worked for everyone, especially since we all had busy schedules. Although this was frustrating and caused stress, I believe the COIL project was a unique opportunity. It gave me a taste of the real challenges I’ll face in an international workplace. Despite the difficulties, I enjoyed working on this project because of the new people I met and the insights I gained about sustainability in today’s business world.

Yago:

The COIL project was a very amusing and informative experience that helped me understand sustainability and ethics in modern business, especially for small and medium-sized companies. I noticed what a big difference there is between companies that are truly committed to sustainability and those that claim to be but are more profit-focused. This contrast was clear in the travel industry, where some companies act unethically by overcharging customers and using high-emission transport, while others genuinely focus on sustainable tourism with fair prices and eco-friendly activities.

The COIL project was also a great way to build skills in global teamwork. Working with an international team brought together different perspectives, which made for an enticing experience that was just as filled with challenges as it was with problem-solving. We also expanded our network with contacts worldwide, which is always a positive thing. Although time zones and different schedules were challenging to manage, this experience prepared me for working in a global environment. Overall, I enjoyed the COIL project for the people I met and for the insights it gave me into ethical business practices.

Zain:

The course material gave us a solid foundation for our group work, especially in areas like strategic planning, sustainable development, and ethical decision-making. We learned to focus on goals that go beyond just profit, guided by concepts such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This knowledge helped us align on shared goals and values. For instance, we used what we learned about CSR in our discussions and strategies, which helped us set ethical guidelines for working with Bidaia Travels. By prioritizing ethical practices and social responsibility in our plans and recommendations, we aimed to create a meaningful impact. Our collective focus on sustainability gave our team a common direction, boosting both our teamwork and motivation