3 Danby in Canada

Team Reflection

The COIL experience allowed us to explore business through the company Danby, gaining perspective on what business for social good really means. Danby has sustainability and responsible management embedded in the heart of their company, as they partake in many ongoing projects which contribute to the UN SDGs, specifically numbers 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, 10 – Reduced Inequalities, and 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production (United Nations, 2024).

Danby applies principles of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and responsible management through their focus on ethical production chains, DEI initiatives, and their refugee program. Through this, the company’s main goal is simply to do good in the world, while serving the business’s needs. Danby sponsors and employs refugees, gaining from their contributions to the company, exemplifying what it means to do work with the “bottom of the pyramid” (BOP) (Calton et al., 2013, p.721). As indicated by Calton et al. (2013), working with the BOP involves three core pluralist framings, which serve the function of, 1) realigning all stakeholders as equals, 2) using global action networks to address shared problems together, and 3) focusing on specific, individual needs of those at the BOP (Calton et al., 2013, p.721). We believe that Danby’s collaborative stand on responsible management is inspiring, and can serve as an exemplar for memetic and ideally normative sustainable transforms, which other companies may follow (Burga, 2022, p.33). In the modern day, many companies only partake in doing good, when it serves to further their interorganizational gain. We feel that President and CEO – Jim Estill’s approach to governing Danby via servant leadership, creates an environment where the business’ inter-organizational success is able to benefit not only shareholders but rather, all stakeholders of the triple bottom line (Calton et al., 2013, p. 731 & Burga, 2024). Simply, this is something that more businesses should strive to emulate.

Danby also does sustainability work through eco-innovation. Their furniture bank collects furniture and redistributes it to those in need, outfitting homes within the community. Furthermore, their appliance refurbishment program uses reverse logistics to receive damaged appliances from retailers where they are repaired and resold at a discount, or recycled if refurbishment is not possible, thereby reducing waste. Danby understands that for the sake of the environment, businesses must be willing to accept a longer payout, investing in future as opposed to maximizing profits at the moment. As indicated by Cho (2020), many organizations use CSR and sustainability reporting for performance ratings and earnings management, thereby neglecting the actual purpose of CSR and sustainability actions (Cho, 2020, p.78). We believe this is an important understanding to highlight as not everything in business is about the bottom line. Just because something does not have immediate or unbelievably high returns, does not mean it is an unworthy business investment. Danby’s efforts have shown that a positive business return does not have to be exclusively monetary, it can, as in Danby’s case, come in the form of loyal and dedicated employees and customers. We believe this kind of operational resilience is something to strive for in business because, though sustainable efforts are difficult, in the end, they are beneficial to the entire world.

Our group understood the relevance of the assignment and how it relates to our studies. Learnings from our courses were useful in understanding the terminology and processes that the interviewee, Jim Estill, mentioned during the interview, such as greenwashing and budgeting. Sustainability and environmental consciousness have become significant factors in economics and business climates today. Modern issues, such as climate change, volatility in supply chains, and the ever-growing scarcity of natural resources, force the economies of countries and companies to transform their operations and rethink how they function. This assignment helped our group to realize what we have learned through a real-life example, how initiatives are put into practice and to what extent companies can proactively implement solutions.

Our generation can be considered quite conscious when it comes to sustainability, however, it is often forgotten that sustainability initiatives involve more than simply decreasing GHG emissions or limiting waste. Sustainability transforms require more than the simple implementation of new mechanisms in our daily destructive operations. For example, responsible budgeting and regulatory oversight through consistent organizational auditing are also key components to enacting meaningful CSR and inter-organizational sustainability measures. What was particularly interesting about Danby Appliances is the company’s overwhelming emphasis on ensuring human flourishing within their community, no matter the individual’s proximity to the company. The interview highlighted how important asset-based community development is to the organization, using their resources to promote community resiliency; effectively exceeding our expectations. Going into the interview, our group only had prior knowledge of the refugee sponsorship and refurbishment programs, but we came to learn that Danby is focused on promoting good through many more avenues than just these. The company has a strong focus on philanthropy and has founded its own furniture bank, where it uses company resources to collect, store, and redistribute used items to families and individuals in need.

As we explored Danby’s story for AIM2Flourish, we learned that success is not just about personal achievements but also about our ability to leave a positive impact. Danby has given us an inspiring perspective on how to deal with resources and loss in the supply chain. While many companies see damaged goods as waste, Danby sees this as an opportunity to turn damaged goods into valuable resources. Jim’s story will play a role in shaping our behaviour and actions as future entrepreneurs to take a principled and values-based approach that embodies the true power of innovation in business. Looking towards the future, we see the AIM2Flourish initiative as an archetypal platform for highlighting companies, committed to CSR and sustainable transformations; as similar initiatives are required for the promotion of long-term flourishing between businesses and the triple bottom line. Danby has shown us that it is our responsibility as future businesspeople and entrepreneurs, to play an active role in sustainable innovation, building and consulting on our own models that combine renewal and upcycling where possible. At the same time, we will embrace the importance of renewal, which means repairing or repurposing damaged items, thereby keeping resources in the supply chain, so they can continue to serve consumer needs effectively. This approach is not limited to reducing waste, it gives our products additional, future value while encouraging customers to feel a stronger sense of environmental responsibility.

The AIM2Flourish experience has reshaped how we envision ourselves acting as businesspeople in the next few years. This exercise emphasized the importance of balancing purpose with profitability, contributing to our understanding that companies can both succeed and bring positive change by embracing sustainable practices. There is a pretty obvious link between this experience and how we envision approaching our future roles. By leading with morals, as this story inspires us to do in our careers, we will design profitable solutions to social and environmental problems, rather than chasing financial returns. This is a reflection that encourages us to think beyond the short-term gain, towards business that creates lasting value in society and on our planet. This understanding will fortify our commitment to creating an approach with purpose, using business as a force for good.

This cross-cultural experience helped us learn to communicate and collaborate with people from different countries, backgrounds, and cultures. At times we faced challenges scheduling meetings, communicating effectively, and agreeing on how to distribute work. Furthermore, we faced group divisions as some of us wanted to divide tasks, whereas others preferred simultaneously having everyone work on everything. This suggests a slight difference between a collectivist and individualistic approach. Additionally, we learned to work with language differences. Though everyone spoke English, it was not everyone’s first language, making it harder to have lively discussions. We learned to share the meeting minutes at the beginning of meetings so everyone could follow along and translate if needed. Additionally, if we were asking a specific question, we would ask aloud and type in the chat to solidify everyone’s understanding.

For the Aim2Flourish initiative, we were tasked with identifying a company whose activities aligned with the UN SDGs, followed by an interview to educate us on its sustainable practices. Team members contributed to the research, writing, and design processes, bringing together a wide range of perspectives which helped us illustrate a complete narrative of Danby’s sustainable innovations. We collaborated in ideation using weekly meetings to keep everyone on track, producing a story, reflective piece and poster presentations of our findings.

Overall, our teamwork was excellent as it allowed for the combination of diverse opinions, which helped enrich our story. Strategies like brainstorming and role distribution were helpful, catering to the strengths and skills of every individual. In the end, this initiative was highly beneficial.

Individual Reflections

Renad Alshehri
Engagement in this experiential activity has indeed been a very positive experience of being part of this team. Virtual working brought diverse perspectives into our discussion and allowed us to think more critically about sustainability and business ethics. Cross-cultural dynamics encouraged open dialogue and mutual respect between members of this team: enlightening and enjoyable interactions.
It proved to be a bit cumbersome dealing with the time disparities of the overseas team but ultimately enabled flexibility and transparency. We outlined activities and quotas in the shared spaces, considering those tools on a schedule where geographical considerations are a non-issue. I was also very happy that my team was able to tackle such not-so-visible challenges and even use them as spurs to go forward toward progress and deeper ties.

Indeed, it is such experiences that have caused me to have more trust in collective efforts and promotional diversity. This has given me more enthusiasm, having gotten an opportunity to develop my confidence in the flexibility and communication in various settings in the future.

Layan Alotaibi
As a member of this virtual team, I felt that the activity was a challenging and rich experience, but it provided me with a real opportunity for growth and education. At first, it was a new and exciting experience. Virtual work with different cultures, especially since cultural communication requires a great deal of coordination and organization. One of the biggest challenges we faced was coordinating times, as each member of the team had a different schedule from the other, but we overcame this problem, which increased my commitment and time management. Cultural challenges also played a major role. I learned to be flexible in understanding different points of view. In addition to the challenge of the English language, since I am not effectively proficient in the language, I had difficulty understanding some conversations and discussions. This virtual class helped me. How to overcome a language barrier was a challenging experience, but we overcame these problems thanks to the spirit of collective cooperation and team spirit. With every difference we faced, there was a common feeling that success requires patience and cooperation and that cultural values are not an obstacle, but we can achieve creativity through them.

EliZabeth Tebbens

I feel that the cross-cultural learning experience I have gained through participating in COIL has been, and will be, extremely helpful to my education and career. In my opinion, the biggest challenge was getting everyone on the same page.

The first reason this was difficult was because of the different time zones. It was hard for us to schedule meetings that worked for everyone. Trying to find a time that did not infringe on someone’s courses or personal plans while making sure no one was up too late at night or too early in the morning, was difficult.

Another reason we struggled was because of language barriers. After the first couple of meetings, it was evident that though we all spoke English, it was to varying degrees. I noticed that it was sometimes difficult for certain members to participate in our live meetings because it was hard to follow the discussion. I tried to be conscious of this and speak slower and more clearly. I think it was helpful when we shared the meeting minutes with everyone before the meeting started so that we could follow along as they were created. I think this helped group members follow the discussion. When working with international groups in the future, I hope to identify issues with language barriers earlier on in the project so that we, as a team, could find methods or techniques that help everyone understand and contribute. If I were to do this project again, I would try to distribute a meeting outline of everything that needed to be discussed and decided ahead of time. This would help everyone prepare so we could have more effective discussions.

Finally, I wish that I had looked into cross-cultural differences a little bit more. I learned that it is really important to be flexible, and compromising so that everyone is included in how the group operates. When working with groups in the future I would like to do more of a deep dive into specific cultural differences so that I can be better prepared. This would help me be more flexible, embracing other’s ideas and opinions so that everyone feels seen and heard.

I am so glad that I had the opportunity to work with people from around the world. I feel that it has given me more perspective on international collaboration and allowed me to identify my own shortcomings. This has provided me with the opportunity to improve myself so that I can be a better group member throughout my education and in the workforce.

Zoe Sharp

I found the COIL experience to be a lesson in cross-cultural communications, which exemplified the importance of personal accountability and self-advocacy; creating a group environment conducive to everyones needs.

Going into this project, I was elated by the opportunity to participate in an experience of this size and scope, highlighting businesses that excelled in their ability to implement meaningful, and necessary social, environmental, and economic innovations; demonstrating the importance of intentional and moral business practices.

Despite our cultural, linguistic, and geographic differences, we worked diligently to ensure they did not create barriers within our group dynamic. I do believe it is important, however, to distinguish between contextual and personal diversities, as no amount of cultural understanding or sensitivity preparedness will make a group – which exists only in a remote setting – operate without challenge (Taras et al., 2021). Our group successfully met once a week for the 4 weeks of this project’s duration, which required significant, advanced coordination and flexibility from peers. We utilized online platforms for communications, both in the form of group text chats and video calls, to ensure that all members had access to a space where their questions and concerns could be raised, and met with adequate solutions. Through these measures and a conscious awareness of the adversities we faced, our contextual diversities did not prevent us from creating a final deliverable, which effectively and professionally contributed to Aim2Flourish’s catalogue. Despite this, our personal diversities did create some obstacles in the group’s ability to operate smoothly and effectively. Online platforms can create an environment where participation in discussions seems – at times – optional as opposed to a necessary function of the group. This highlights the struggles of working with a team via online avenues, as individuals conduct themselves differently and often adhere to laxer introspective expectations in the absence of personal connections, consciously or subconsciously. With this, I also feel that the isolation of remote group work allows for the invisibilization of individual contributions, which can impede positive group dynamics.

Overall, I do think this experience contributed positively to my growth and learning as a student of business, where group work challenges are inevitable. Furthermore, I think the challenges we endured are telling of the modern era, where online communications remove aspects of human understanding from group work situations. This can impede the clear communication of needs, compromise, sympathy, and effective conflict resolution; which are required inputs for ensuring meaningful group cohesion. I do appreciate the cultural perspective this experience provided and believe that it will contribute to my success in the future, as I am more aware of the struggles faced by multinational groups, but also the strengths of utilizing many viewpoints to build integral and culturally informed pieces of work.

I hope to maintain a professional relationship with my groupmates in the future and wish them all great success.

Jázmin Szabó 
For me, doing this assignment with people from different countries and managing cross-cultural did not seem as difficult and challenging at first glance as it eventually turned out to be. Initially, my perception was that as long as everyone participated in carrying out the project, our dynamic could be considered successful. However, I have learned that it takes more than that to do a project like this one since everyone has quite different opinions and perspectives on how certain steps should be taken and who should be responsible for what. Overall, I am satisfied with how our teamwork turned out and the hard-working attitude of my teammates. In the very beginning, we managed to find certain days that worked for every participant, and in case something came up every member was more or less flexible. Our group consistently had a weekly meeting, in which everyone participated. In case something was not clear, we discussed it via chat. However, oftentimes I sensed some sort of miscommunication. Lastly, in my opinion, each of us took our fair share of the work and personally I tried to contribute as much as possible. This assignment provided me with useful insights into how cross-cultural teams cooperate in a work environment and helped me to be more considerate of others and their perceptions.

Andrea Paipa 
This cross-cultural learning experience was really interesting for me because I had never considered how different cultures affect the way we think, communicate, and collaborate. Overall, I am proud of the work we did as a group because I feel that although we had challenges and miscommunications, everyone was genuinely trying to work and put in their fair share of effort.
I would say our biggest challenge was trying to agree on the way certain things should be done or the processes of completing action tasks efficiently and accurately. Due to our different cultures, I think we all have experienced different ways of group collaboration because of what is considered socially acceptable within our society. Working through these barriers was challenging but eye-opening because I had never really considered the way team collaboration varies from culture to culture. Furthermore, I am from the U.S.A. and I learned that although Canada is our neighbouring country, we still have some subtle differences that affect the way we work and think. I greatly enjoyed learning about not only these different cultures but the different individuals representing these cultures through this COIL project. Through introspection, I think it is very evident that each member had a certain set of strengths and weaknesses and I strongly believe we were able to find a way to complement each other instead of clashing. I believe we worked effectively and consistently, meeting each week and delegating tasks. This exercise allowed me the opportunity to learn how to work across different cultures, personalities, time zones, and backgrounds and I am deeply grateful for it.

References
Burga, R. (2022). The Integration of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability into
Responsible Management. https://books.lib.uoguelph.ca/mgmt-3020/
Burga, R. (2024, September 17-19). MGMT*3020 Lecture – Week 2. University of Guelph.
Calton, J. M., Werhane, P. H., Hartman, L. P., & Bevan, D. (2013). Building Partnerships to Create Social and Economic Value at the Base of the Global Development Pyramid. Journal of Business Ethics, 117(4), 721–733. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1716-0
Cho, C. H. (2020). CSR accounting ‘new wave’ researchers: ‘step up to the plate’… or ‘stay out of the game.’ Journal of Accounting and Management Information Systems, 19(4). https://doi.org/10.24818/jamis.2020.04001
Taras, V., Baack, D., Caprar, D., Jiménez, A., & Froese, F. (2021, June 9). Research: How Cultural Differences Can Impact Global Teams. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved November 1, 2024, from https://hbr.org/2021/06/research-how-cultural-differences-can-impact-global-teams