Innovation and Entrepreneurship

SM9715

Student Number

Word Count

Part 1: 2647 || Part 2: 1424

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 PART 1- Case Study of Bowery Farming

Table of Contents
PART 1- Case Study of Bowery Farming........................................................................2

Section 1: Critical Analysis of the Entrepreneurial Narrative...........................................3

Information and Entrepreneurial Narrative of Bowery Farming.................................................3

Section 2: Focused Business Environment Analysis........................................................6

Macro Analysis............................................................................................................................6

Micro Analysis.............................................................................................................................8

Section 3: Description and Critical Assessment of Bowery Farming Business Plan..........12

Value Proposition of Bowery Farming......................................................................................12

Strengths and Weakness of Bowery Farming Business Plan.....................................................13

Social and Natural Environment Impact of the Business Plan...................................................14

Section 4: Key insights.................................................................................................15

References..................................................................................................................16

PART 2- Reflection on the SM9715 Module................................................................18

Section 1: Reflection on Diverse Learning Experiences.................................................19

Section 2: Reflection on Implementing Successful Teamwork.......................................21

Section 3: Reflection on Learning from Constructive Feedback.....................................22

References..................................................................................................................25

Appendices.................................................................................................................26

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 Section 1: Critical Analysis of the Entrepreneurial Narrative

Information and Entrepreneurial Narrative of Bowery Farming

Bowery Farming is a new farming venture that cultivates greens indoors using

innovative technologies, including robotics, LED lighting, and data analytics. Bowery

creates high-tech indoor farms close to urban areas, where they cultivate Protected

Produce that is both pesticide- and chemical-free and boasts intense flavour all year

long. Thus, Irving Fain, David Golden, and Brian Falther established it in 2015 with

headquarters in New York (Forbes, 2021). However, Bowery uses its proprietary

operating system (BoweryOS) to orchestrate and automate its activities, combining

software, hardware, sensors, artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision, machine

learning, and robotics.

Nonetheless, Bowery operates a modern agriculture company that provides

organic products. Through its unique technology, it orchestrates and automates its

operation to grow fresher, pesticide-free vegetables and herbs near cities in a perfectly

controlled environment. In addition to using only renewable energy, Bowery Farming

also boasts 15% more efficient LED lighting (Pagan Research, 2021). To assure the

most significant level of food safety and quality, an innovative water recapture and

filtration system have been custom-built to ensure that even the water expelled from the

plants may be collected and utilised.

Through retail partners like Whole Foods Market and Albertsons Companies, the

farm supplies fresh produce to more than fifty million people within two hundred miles of

the farm (Wall Street Journal, 2018). Thus, Bowery's produce is available at a variety of

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speciality and independent grocery stores across the US via local wholesalers, like Four

Seasons Produce.

Irving Fain, a successful entrepreneur who, earlier in his career, had cofounded

CrowdTwist, which Oracle Corporation later purchased for $100 million, established

Bowery Farming in 2015. (Forbes, 2021). Cofounding the company with Irving were

successful businesspeople David Golden and Brian Falther (Wall Street Journal, 2018).

Henry Sztul became a member of the firm's founding team soon after its establishment

and became instrumental in creating BoweryOS, as he holds Chief Science Officer at

the company (TechCrunch, 2021). The venture capital firms Google Ventures, General

Catalyst, GGV Capital, and Temasek invested $472 million in Bowery Farming.

However, Fidelity Investments was the driving force behind its most recent round of

fundraising in 2021. (Reuters, 2021). Natalie Portman, Lewis Hamilton, Tom Colicchio,

Chris Paul, José Andrés, and Justin Timberlake are among the company's investors

(Pagan Research, 2021). Bowery built Farm X in Kearny, New Jersey, in 2021 as an

innovation hub for plant science to expand crop types and focus on indoor farming seed

development (NJ Business, 2021). The Bowery's Farm X allows consumers to enjoy

strawberries, roots, tomatoes, and cucumbers earlier than expected in commercial

markets. In 2021, the company expanded into Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with the

addition of a third commercial innovative farm (Forbes, 2021).

Bowery Farming maintains three commercial farms and two Research and

Development (R & D) sites in Kearny, New Jersey, where it grows its food in industrial

buildings utilising vertical farming techniques and proprietary technologies, without

pesticides and with a minimum water footprint (Fortune, 2021). Furthermore, Bowery

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Farming delivers locally farmed food to Whole Foods Market, Giant Food,

Walmart, ACME and Safeway outlets, and Weis Markets (Fortune, 2021). Delivery

choices from Bowery Farming include Hungryroot and Amazon (Supermarket News,

2021).

The technology used by Bowery Farming focuses on automation, sensors,

robots, AI, and a unique operating system called BoweryOS that takes pictures of crops

and performs real-time data analysis (Wall Street Journal, 2018). Using Samsung's

former Chief Technology Officer, Injong Rhee, Bowery has accelerated the

implementation of the company's unique technologies in its network of vertical smart

farms (VentureBeat, 2021). Finally,  Traptic, a farming robotics corporation specialising

in vine crops, was acquired by Bowery farming in 2022. (Ag Funder News, 2022).

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 Section 2: Focused Business Environment Analysis

Macro Analysis

The macro-environment includes external, uncontrollable elements that impact a

company's decision-making and growth. This section will assess Bowery's ecosystem

based on the PESTLE analysis.

Table 1: Bowery Farming PESTLE Analysis

 Urban development plans currently do not

explicitly mention vertical farms; this might
become a problem for Bowery farming if
Political Factors the government does not permit the
development of vertical farms or limits
future growth.

 If the Bowery farming vertical system is

seen as a competition to conventional
farmers and greenhouses, lobbying from
the agriculture sector through social media
or the press could lead to regulations,
actions, or bad decisions.

 In the absence of subsidies and other

forms of support, Bowery Farm will fail to
establish its business.

 Due to competition, selling

Economic Factors opportunities are significant economic
issues that could impact Bowery
farming; this is because, despite
Bowery's high-quality product, selling
prices are greater than those of
conventional farming products (Al-
Chalabi, 2015).

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  Because of the technology involved in
its production, Bowery farming is
commercially viable since its products
are considered high quality. However,
Bowery farming will face challenges if
greenhouses adopt similar technology.

 Bowery farming, which consists of

constructing farms near urban areas,
minimises the supply chain and
reduces the amount of fossil fuel
typically consumed for transportation.

 Bowery's vertical farming serves a

specific market and can benefit from
the backing of enormous corporations
or wealthy investors.

 Customers' perceptions that food grown in

Social Factors a vertical farm is manufactured from
chemicals and not natural could provide a
social barrier for Bowery, preventing them
from purchasing such foods.

 Another social challenge Bowery

Farming will face is the labour organisation
representing farm workers in the
agricultural sector. This labour union may
oppose vertical farming because it renders
conventional agriculture, which employs its
people, obsolete.

Technological Factors  The use of nanotechnology in

greenhouses poses a significant risk to
Bowery's business model because it allows
competitors in the greenhouses industry to
produce crops on par with those grown by
Bowery.

 Visual pollution is an environmental

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Environmental Factors concern that could impact Bowery's vertical
farming; as the number of vertical farms in
cities increases, the existing vacant
buildings will no longer be empty.
Therefore, to accommodate vertical farms,
new skyscrapers will be constructed. Thus,
these high-rise vertical farms will cause
visual pollution in the city.

 Currently, the Bowery farming system

Legal Factors benefits from the absence of laws about
vertical agriculture, but when such laws are
passed and enforced, they may
significantly impact the Bowery farming
system.

For example, the government may

determine that vertical farming threatens
conventional farmers and greenhouses
and enact legislation to eliminate vertical
farms. Furthermore, when they pass laws
stating that city land is not for farming or
that Bowery farming requires a specific
permit to construct a vertical farm while
also making it difficult to obtain such a
permit.

Micro Analysis

Bowery farming has gained popularity due to the rising demand for organic

veggies and the need to decrease waste production. Bowery is a pioneer in the vertical

farming industry, but its success is affected by internal and external influences. In light

of this, a SWOT analysis of the Bowery farming Market has been performed for this

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section of the report to detail its strengths, weaknesses, market opportunities, and

threats.

Table 2: Bowery Farming SWOT Analysis

 Less water is required to cultivate crops

utilising the Bowery vertical farming system
than it does to utilise water in conventional
Strength
farming or in a greenhouse, which implies
there will be more water available for human
use.

 The shorter growling time of Bowery farming

compared to conventional farming methods
is another significant benefit that makes its
agricultural products available in the market
year-round.

 The price of pesticides accounts for most of

a farm's operating expenses. Due to not
employing pesticides, Bowery Vertical Farm
is more cost-effective (Pretty et al., 2005).

 Considering that temperature, precipitation,

and soil account for 59% of crop failure, the
Bowery farming vertical system is a foolproof
way to avoid yield loss. Therefore, crop
failures caused by weather cannot occur
when crops are grown in a controlled setting
(Mendelsohn, 2007).

 Bowery farming reduces the risk of crop loss

caused by bacteria, pests, and viruses
compared to traditional farming methods.

 Since Bowery's vertical farming stations are

in urban areas, crop failures due to storage
or shipping disappear, making this method

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 preferable to the more traditional farming
system stations found in rural areas.

 Additionally, as Bowery farming results in

immediate product sales, crop loss during
storage is minimised (Despommier, 2009).

 Bowery farming ensures the maximum crop

quality since it provides the optimal amount
of water and the optimum nutrients,
influencing flavour and texture and making
for a perfect setting to cultivate plants.

 Bowery farming's downside is that its goods

are expensive because of the advanced
Weakness farming technology required to grow them.

 Compared to a conventional design, which

uses free sunshine energy, the high energy
required to cultivate crops in a Bowery
vertical farm system also functions as a cost
driver.

 Due to the prohibitive cost of its crop

production, Bowery farming has a
diminished competitive edge over rivals, as
competitors from the conventional dimension
with lower production costs would need to
sell less to generate a profit than Bowery
farming.

Opportunities  Bowery farming presents an ecological

potential because its vertical layout requires
far less area than conventional farming
methods.

 Bowery farm has a competitive advantage

over its traditional farming competitors
because of the high efficiency generated by
its farm's technology.

 New market opportunities present an

economic potential for bowery

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 crop cultivation. As a result, the excellent
quality of the crops and the increased
degree of food safety are advantages that
might contribute to their full potential. In
addition, Thus, Bowery farm's high-quality
goods may attract new customers.

 Nanotechnology, which has only existed in

Threats greenhouses, is a technical threat to bowery
farming because it increases taste, texture,
and shelf life while decreasing yield loss. As
a result, the Bowery vertical farming method
may lose its competitive edge in product
quality if greenhouses adopt this technology.

 The perception of Bowery farming's products

as unnatural and whether or not people are
willing to pay premium prices for such items
provide an additional social and economic
threat. Notwithstanding, if these threats
materialise, it will be challenging for Bowery
farming to sell produce and remain
profitable.

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Section 3: Description and Critical Assessment of Bowery Farming
Business Plan

With the world's population expanding at an alarming rate, arable land

decreasing, and more people settling in cities, urban vertical farming has gained traction

(Pagan Research, 2021). However, accessible agricultural land is a crucial issue for

farming. If a region has difficulty obtaining sufficient agricultural land but wants to

improve its food security and decrease its reliance on imports, vertical farms may be an

appropriate solution. Thus, this business plan's strengths and limitations, and the plan's

potential social and environmental effects, are discussed in this part.

Value Proposition of Bowery Farming

An organisation's business model is how it creates value, distributes value, and

captures value (Osterwalder, 2010). Consequently, the methodology known as the

business model canvas will be applied to analyse the value proposition presented by

Bowery farming. Nonetheless, the business model canvas, according to Pigeur (2014),

is a tool for "strategic management." The relevance of the business model canvas lies in

the fact that it enables organisations to undertake methodical, practical, and strategic

discussions about either new or existing enterprises. Canvas is a tool that companies

like Bowery Farming may use to manage their strategies or generate new development

engines. Its components are as follows: customers, value proposition, channels,

customer relations, essential resources, key activities, key partnerships, core structure,

and income streams. The value proposition is the one component of a business model

canvas that stands out as being particularly important since it is the one that defines the

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position of the company in the market the most precisely (Ching & Fauvel, 2013).

Additionally, it adds a sense of uniqueness to a company.

In the most immediate sense, Bowery's farms deliver value to locals by providing

them with healthy, pesticide-free produce all year round.

The value propositions of Bowery farming include a regulated environment; with

limited land utilisation for massive crop cultivation, the land remains for another

economic benefit. In addition, the controlled growing environments devoid of filth and

require no washing offer consumers Food Safety, thereby preventing food-borne

sickness.

Using less water than conventional farming, Bowery farming adds value to

society. According to the Association for Vertical Farming (2015), humans consume just

30% of the available freshwater because the remaining 70% goes to irrigate crops and

raise livestock. Therefore, more water will be available for human consumption if crops

are grown using vertical farming technology like Bowery Farming.

Bowery Farming can produce a larger harvest each year; thus, their agricultural

goods are available to customers throughout the year rather than only during the

growing season, as seen in conventional farming systems.

Strengths and Weakness of Bowery Farming Business Plan

Bowery Farming's reliance on proven vertical farming techniques is one of the

company's greatest strengths. That means year-round crop output consistency. For this

reason, Bowery Farming can grow crops regardless of the weather, as vertical farming

typically does not rely on the weather. Another strength of the Bowery Farming vertical

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system is that it does not necessitate enormous tracts of fully fertile ground. This farm

can be developed and constructed in any location and environment, and crops may be

grown regardless of temperature extremes or inclement weather.

In addition, the stacking growing technique allows for the production of more

crops in a limited space. Another strength is that the  Bowery Farming vertical system

relies on a Hydroponic growing method that requires only 10% of the water required in

conventional farming methods. Consequently, this form of agriculture needs

fewer fertilisers and nutrients than conventional.

Nevertheless, the weakness of this system lies in the fact that the crops are

grown in closed environments; thus, pollination is difficult. Thus, this would result in

increased manual pollination costs for Bowery Farming. Another weakness is that this

system relies on various technologies for lighting, regulating temperature, and

managing humidity; therefore, a malfunction with one of these technologies might

interrupt the entire cultivation process, resulting in losses.

Social and Natural Environment Impact of the Business Plan

As a vertical farming business, Bowery Farming significantly impacts the

business and environment. The practice of growing crops indoors on shelves has a

significant impact on humans, plants, and the environment as a whole. It can

supplement outdoor farming, allowing farmers to supply their communities with year-

round access to fresh, nutritious vegetables. Bowery Farming broadens the scope of the

supply chains and strengthens the food safety of an area. However, one of the main

arguments against the Bowery Farming vertical system is that it is sometimes too

expensive or inaccessible for people living in places not well served by their food

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distribution networks. Another significant social impact of Bowery Farming is how it has

the potential to influence and even destabilise a group of people that are exclusively

dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. Regarding the natural environment,

Bowery's vertical farming system has less demand for resources like land or water, no

need for chemical pesticides, and less need to ship food long distances, thus, reducing

the impact of fossil fuel on the environment.

Section 4: Key insights

Conventional farming faces challenges, including a growing global population,

limited farmable land, and a lack of fresh water. To combat these issues, Bowery

Farming is at the forefront of a new technological revolution in agriculture by pioneering

Fluence LED grow lights, which allow for year-round, extremely efficient food

production.

The land and water necessary for agriculture are becoming increasingly scarce

as more people move to metropolitan areas. Bowery, therefore, devised a technique

that consumes 95% less water than conventional farms while producing one hundred

times as much food per acre.

Bowery Farming minimises seasonality difficulties in its production cycle by

cultivating in a controlled environment. It ensures uniformity in harvests and eliminates

the contamination problems that plague conventional farming. The controlled and

enclosed environment eliminates the need for pesticides.

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 References

Ag Funder News. (2022, March 13). The lowdown: Bowery’s strawberry bot buyout. Ag Funder

News.

Al-Chalabi, M. (2015). Vertical farming: Skyscraper sustainability? Sustainable Cities and

Society, 18(1), 74–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2015.06.003

Association for vertical farming (2015). That is good food sense: A look at horizontal

(conventional) and vertical farming. Retrieved from:

http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/wpcontent/uploads/2016/12/FoodSense_infograph

ic_090615rev_AVF_FNL.png

Ching, H. Y., & Fauvel, C. (2013). Criticisms, variations, and experiences with business model

canvas. European Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Research, 1(2), 26–37.

https://www.eajournals.org/wp-content/uploads/Criticisms-Variations-and-Experiences-

with-Business-Model-Canvas.pdf

Despommier, D. (2009). The rise of vertical farms. Scientific American, 301(5), 80-87.

Retrieved from: http://www.westfield.ma.edu/uploads/cbraun/verticalfarming.pdf

Forbes. (2021). Vertical farming gets real. Forbes.

Fortune. (2021, August 1). The war for your salad bowl: Is this Natalie portman’s favourite kale?

Fortune.

Mendelsohn, R. (2007). What causes crop failure? Climatic Change, 81, 61-70. Retrieved from:

https://linkspringer-com.ezproxy.library.wur.nl/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs10584-005-

9009-y.pdf

NJ Business. (2021). Bowery farming opens an innovation hub in Kearny. NJ Business.

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Osterwalder, A., 2010. Business model generation. Global: SlideShare.

Pagan Research. (2021). Bowery farming. Paganresearch.io.

https://paganresearch.io/details/bowery-farming

Pigneur, Y., (2014). Value Proposition design. 1st ed. Switzerland: Wiley.

Pretty, J. N., Ball, A. S., Lang, T., & Morison, J. I. L. (2005). Farm costs and food miles: An

assessment of the total cost of the UK weekly food basket. Food Policy, 30(1), 1–19.

Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.library.wur.nl/science/article/pii/

S0306919205000059?_rdoc=1&_fmt=

high&_origin=gateway&_docanchor=&md5=b8429449ccfc9c30159a5f9aeaa92ffb&ccp

=y

Reuters. (2021). Indoor vertical farming startup bowery Farm raises $300 mln. Reuters.

Supermarket News. (2021, August 1). Albertsons adds bowery vertically farmed produce".

Supermarket News.

TechCrunch. (2021). Hacking lettuce for taste and profit. TechCrunch.

The New York Times. (2021, August 6). No soil. No growing seasons. Just add water and

technology—the New York Times.

VentureBeat. (2021, August 1). Bowery CTO Injong Rhee on the grand challenge of AI for

indoor farming. VentureBeat.

Wall Street Journal. (2018). Tech companies to watch in 2018. The Wall Street Journal.

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 PART 2- Reflection on the SM9715 Module

Table of Contents

Section 1: Reflection on Diverse Learning Experiences.....................................................19

Section 2: Reflection on Implementing Successful Teamwork..........................................21

Section 3: Reflection on Learning from Constructive Feedback.......................................22

References.........................................................................................................................25

Appendices........................................................................................................................26

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 Section 1: Reflection on Diverse Learning Experiences

This module's content and delivery have been fantastic. As a result of this

course, I have learned things that I will use in the future, making me eager to contribute

my quoter to my future employers!

I was nervous when I first saw that this module would require me to give a

presentation or speak in front of my peers. Despite this, I was impatient to get started on

this journey after attending the first class and listening to my lecturer further break down

the components of the course and study materials to achieve excellence.

The value of reflection is one of the most valuable lessons I have taken away

from this course; this has always been a challenge for me, but after finishing this

module, I have a better grasp of its significance. By engaging in introspective thought,

we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of our inner workings and their

impact on our actions and decisions. It enables us to comprehend why we function as

we do and how we might improve ourselves. We could quickly become engrossed in

our thoughts and keep making the same mistakes without self-reflection. Self-reflection,

I have found, can be quite a test of mental fortitude. Confronting our flaws and

accepting that we have room for improvement is not always easy. Despite this, taking

stock of one's actions and thoughts is essential because this is the only way to

experience personal development and improvement.

I have learned much about communication from this module, which has been

informative. The ability to listen to others' points of view without passing judgement, to

put their points of view in context, and to provide something of value to the conversation

as a whole is a skill I have developed. I have also picked pointers on improving my

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presentation layout and delivery skills. For instance, I helped design our presentation,

something I find fascinating, as part of a group activity with my fellow students (i.e.

group 4). As a result of this opportunity, I learned a great deal about Microsoft

PowerPoint and improved my design skills, which will be helpful to my future employer

and career. As a whole, I am delighted with this module and would suggest it to anyone

who is considering a career path involving innovation and entrepreneurship.

This lesson has taught me a great deal about the communication and

presentation skills required to be a successful entrepreneur. I have also developed skills

to find my voice, connect with my audience, and produce educational and enjoyable

content. Thus, this module will be a massive asset to me as I strive to develop my

abilities and advance in my profession.

I have gained knowledge regarding academic writing and analysis skills in this

module. My understanding of organising and presenting information in academic writing

has improved. However, the most significant learning from this module was the value of

asking questions. Despite its importance in all curricula, its impact on students' personal

growth struck me the most. In conclusion, I am pleased with my progress and optimistic

that I will be able to use what I have learnt in my future studies.

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 Section 2: Reflection on Implementing Successful Teamwork

MY TEAM- Group 4

Teamwork is necessary to interact with individuals with diverse experiences and

information. Nevertheless, team collaboration is essential, which boosts the work's

potential and effectiveness. It also improves performance, which leads to more

significant outcomes, and the performance of the other members compensates for the

weak performance of one person.

The method of teamwork that I have mastered begins with establishing goals and

objectives, developing member trust, cooperative actions, and establishing a deadline.

As a group (in this case, group 4), we face challenges and opportunities regularly

(Pakmer, 2017). As a team, we got off to a great start, but as time passed, we started to

crack under the weight of all the pressure. The optimum way of education is an

independent study, but it takes discipline and the capacity to communicate coherently

(Messersmith, 2015). Our team determined a suggested guideline for who would be

responsible for particular sections and when these sections ought to be ready for

compilation and editing. Microsoft PowerPoint fascinated me, so I developed the team's

presentation. The group initially had trouble staying on task, but after the first two

meetings, one member stepped up and assumed leadership.

Tuckman posits that for a group to collaborate successfully, its members must go

through a series of stages in which they learn to work together and share information

(West, 2012). However, we researched the simulated topic (Food Technology) as a

group, followed the instructor's instructions, and included the proper citations and

references. By the project's completion, we had a firm grasp of our team expectations,

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why we needed to communicate effectively with one another, and how effective

leadership and team communication were crucial to our ultimate success. We made an

effort to check in more frequently, acknowledge when mini-assignments were due, and

notify others if problems emerged to address our team's shortcomings. In addition to

meeting deadlines, team members must allow extra time for compilation, editing, and

peer review. Still, we could not meet the deadlines because most team members did not

care about them. My responsibility as an implementer of Belbin's (2012) teamwork

approach was to meet all project objectives with the deadline in mind to minimise

negative feedback. Further, I ensured the meeting of the project's goals and final

deadlines.

To guarantee that everyone engaged in the final stages of our project, our team

determined that all team members must provide their last feedback on the presentation

before the leader submitted them to the instructor to secure unanimous team

acceptance. In addition, our team conducted a simulated presentation in which we

provided each other with feedback, preparing us for the main display. As I realised, the

majority of us feared unfavourable feedback. Though there were initial concerns that

team members would not get along, it was essential to keep an optimistic outlook.

Moreover my expectations for the group were met and exceeded, and we completed the

presentation.

Section 3: Reflection on Learning from Constructive Feedback

Most people lack the humility required to take an objective look at their lives,

work, or both. Attempting to be self-critical without being excessively negative is a

complex undertaking. Since the beginning of the semester, I have made considerable

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progress in this activities-heavy curriculum. Understanding my skills and limitations and

receiving constructive feedback from my peers and instructor allowed me to make

necessary adjustments to my work.

Even though I am still attempting to identify my strengths, I can recall my growth

areas. I have watched my communication skills progress from a shyness level to a more

confident level. I am better at collaborating with people in a team to achieve results

while managing time properly. My teammate in our presentation group points out my

diligence as I will poke into every piece of literature a member presents to ensure they

align with our assessment guidelines. Usually, I would use questions as responses to

feedback given to me. However, this module has changed as I now keep an open mind

first to assimilate the information provided, put it into context and work towards

improving rather than fighting it. Moreso, despite my mistakes, I can grow and learn

from them.

I still have more to improve on my presentation skill, as my tutor mostly pointed

this out during my presentations. I am most wordy in my presentation, making my

audience struggle to follow my points. My coursemates also gave me this feedback.,

Before enhancing this element, I realised that feedback aims to improve the receiver,

not destroy it. This mindset enables me to welcome every input I receive. Thus, I took

time to assimilate the feedback and map out a strategy to improve on them; this would

include writing out my presentations and properly scoping the essential points that add

value to the context in question, asking others what they thought about it and finally

practising to ensure I deliver.

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 I always speak my mind on giving feedback, but sometimes my views may affect

the receiver mentally or break our friendship as coursemates. For this reason, I mostly

hold back. Through consulting my tutor for help in this area and doing research, I have

learnt there are better ways to convey feedback to avoid confrontation; being direct is

not one of them; instead, using examples to direct the receiver's attention to the main

issue, thus far has been helpful.

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 References

Belbin, R. M. (2012). Team Roles at Work. London: Routledge.

Messersmith, A. (2015). Preparing Students for 21st Century Teamwork: Effective Collaboration

in the Online Group Communication Course. Communication Teacher, 29(4), 219–226.

Pakmer, P. (2017). Successful group work: 13 activities to teach teamwork skills. Branford,

Connecticut: Alphabet Publishing.

West, M. A. (2012). Effective teamwork: Practical lessons from organisational research

Chichester: BPS Blackwell.

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 Appendices

Appendix 1: Evidence of Group Chat Involvement

This is an example of our "Uni Group" WhatsApp group chat. Through our

conversation, we set meeting times for our presentation project; this enables everyone's

approval of a suitable time.

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Student I.D: 21042583