7 SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being – Team 7

Team Reflection

As a team, we have explored several stories of businesses that are striving to create positive social impact while also pursuing profit. Each story presents a unique approach to addressing social or environmental challenges, demonstrating the diverse ways in which businesses can contribute to the greater good.

The story of HARP Publishing showcases how a mission-driven approach can guide business decisions and operations. The founders prioritize their social mission over profit, choosing to publish works that promote health equity, social justice, and environmental sustainability. This dedication to their mission sets them apart from traditional publishers, highlighting the potential for businesses to align their values with their operations.

Wave Health’s focus on leveraging technology to improve patient outcomes reflects the potential for innovation to drive positive change in healthcare. By providing AI-enabled patient activation tools and remote monitoring solutions, Wave Health empowers patients to take control of their health while also addressing the challenges of healthcare access and affordability. This demonstrates the power of technology to democratize healthcare and improve health outcomes for all individuals, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

Olitia Foods’ innovative approach to agriculture illustrates how businesses can address environmental challenges while also creating economic opportunities for marginalized communities. By cultivating olive trees in arid regions and producing olive-based products, Olitia Foods not only promotes environmental sustainability but also creates jobs and economic growth in rural areas. This highlights the potential for businesses to adopt sustainable practices that benefit both people and the planet.

The story of Sonata offers a creative solution to addressing hearing impairment, demonstrating how technology can be harnessed to improve quality of life for individuals with disabilities. By utilizing bone conduction technology, Sonata enables individuals with hearing loss to perceive sound through vibrations, offering a low-cost alternative to traditional hearing aids. This highlights the importance of accessibility and inclusivity in product design, ensuring that individuals with disabilities have access to essential technologies that improve their well-being.

Finally, Buddi’s focus on mental health support for university students underscores the importance of addressing mental health challenges in educational settings. By providing a social network and resources for students struggling with mental health issues, Buddi promotes well-being and resilience among young adults, ultimately contributing to their academic success and personal growth. This highlights the potential for businesses to prioritize mental health and well-being in their operations, fostering healthier and more productive communities.

Reflecting on these stories, we recognize several connections to our academic knowledge and broader understanding of business and social responsibility. These stories reinforce the concept of the triple bottom line, highlighting the interconnectedness of social, environmental, and economic goals in business operations. Each business demonstrates a commitment to creating value beyond profit, whether through promoting health equity, environmental sustainability, or mental well-being.

Additionally, these stories challenge traditional notions of business success, which often prioritize financial gains above all else. Instead, these businesses prioritize social impact and sustainability, recognizing that long-term success requires addressing the needs of all stakeholders, including employees, customers, and communities. This challenges our assumptions about the role of businesses in society and highlights the potential for businesses to be agents of positive change.

Furthermore, these stories highlight the importance of innovation in addressing complex social and environmental challenges. Whether through technology, sustainable agriculture, or creative product design, these businesses demonstrate the power of innovation to drive social progress and create meaningful change. This reinforces the idea that businesses can be drivers of innovation for the greater good, leveraging their resources and expertise to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues.

However, we also recognize that there are still challenges and limitations to overcome in the pursuit of business for social good. These stories provide inspiration and examples of success, but they also raise questions about scalability, impact measurement, and the role of regulation in promoting responsible business practices. As future business leaders, we must grapple with these complexities and strive to find solutions that balance profit with social and environmental responsibility.

Exploring these stories has undoubtedly influenced our thinking and approach to business. As future business leaders, we are inspired by the potential for businesses to create positive social impact while also pursuing profit. We recognize the importance of aligning our values with our business practices and prioritizing sustainability and social responsibility in our decision-making.

Moving forward, we are committed to integrating these principles into our future careers and endeavors. We will seek out opportunities to work for or create businesses that prioritize social and environmental impact, leveraging our skills and resources to drive meaningful change in the world. We will also advocate for policies and practices that promote responsible business conduct, recognizing that systemic change is necessary to address global challenges such as climate change, inequality, and health disparities.

As individuals, we are committed to ongoing learning and growth, seeking out opportunities to deepen our understanding of business ethics, sustainability, and social entrepreneurship. We will continue to engage with diverse perspectives and experiences, recognizing that collaboration and collective action are essential for creating a more just and sustainable world.

In summary, exploring the stories of businesses for social good has broadened our perspective and reinforced our commitment to using business as a force for positive change. We are excited to embark on our future careers with a renewed sense of purpose and dedication to making a difference in the world.

Individual Reflections

Michael Dela Cruz

My time in the COIL program has brought challenges but has also tested my ability to manage time and communicate effectively which were influenced by working with other students in different time zones. interacting with individuals from different cultural backgrounds has provided me a unique opportunity to broaden perspectives, enhance communication skills, and develop cultural sensitivity. The exchange of ideas and collaboration with other cultures stimulated my creativity and innovation, enriching the learning environment for everyone involved. However, such experiences also come with challenges, including language barriers, differing work styles, time zones, and cultural misunderstandings. For example, setting up times to have a meeting has its difficulties as they could be having upcoming exams or it could be the afternoon in my country whereas it would be late at night in the other. Navigating these challenges required patience, adaptability, time management and open-mindedness. Despite the difficulties, the benefits of COIL such as working abroad with students from another country are immense, fostering global citizenship and creating a more interconnected world despite it being a digital program.

Justin Duz

While the COIL program has presented obstacles, it has also put my time management and communication skills to the test, as dealing with students in various time zones contributed to these abilities. I have had the exceptional opportunity to expand my worldview and develop my interpersonal skills, and cultural sensitivity through engaging with people from other walks of life. Collaboration and sharing ideas with people from different cultural backgrounds inspired me to be more innovative and imaginative, which improved the educational atmosphere. Language hurdles, distinct work methods, time zones, and cultural misunderstandings are some of the difficulties that come with such situations. A combination of determination and scheduling is needed to overcome these obstacles. Overall, the COIL program is an excellent program that has strengthened my ability to work on a team.

Serah Ngugi

Being my second time undertaking this program, I felt excited and honored. It was an opportunity to collaborate with students from different countries again and work towards a common goal of analyzing sustainability and innovation business stories. Managing the cross-cultural dynamics happened so smoothly. We navigated cultural differences in communication styles, decision-making processes, and approaches to problem-solving. We carefully scheduled meetings to accommodate everyone’s availability. This required flexibility and understanding from all of us. It was indeed a great opportunity And I really enjoyed working with a group of people who come from different backgrounds and who are cooperative.