On Monday, March 18th, 2024, we departed from Wells early in the morning for our second annual visit to Toyota Ban Pho Plant. This trip was designed for Grade 12 students who are studying operations management in their 2nd year of Business Management (BM) studies, and aimed to give insight into one of the top car-making companies in the world production line.

During this time, BM senior students have been learning about the various aspects of lean manufacturing, inspired by Toyota.�� This trip exposed students to the complexities of operating a business in an era of groundbreaking innovations and changes in human resource management in a globalized environment; students were able to make connections between what they study and the real world.

Student Reflections

The following excerpts from students’ reflections post trip, as well as the photos, show how important these trips are for students in experiencing the real-world application of the theories and concepts discussed in class:

“Overall, this trip was quite beneficial as I got to make many connections with the things that we have learned in BM class. Not only that, but it was quite fun to see the idea of lean manufacturing and quality control methods in real life after hearing about them. The most important thing that I learned was that as the world is developing more and more things are going to be automated, even the simpler things like moving one part from one area to another or flipping the frame of the car upside down.”

-Franny

“I also saw how sustainability was implemented into the factory work. Toyota has grass fields around their factory to improve the environment and they also reuse the water that was used to check the car windows. We all were also able to identify defects which was really cool as it connects to what we are learning in class.”

-Arjan

“This trip indeed helped my learning. As I watched the production line, I was reminded of various concepts about lean production we learned in class. When I saw some colorful posters to inform workers about Toyota’s mission, or when I saw the wall of hall of fame, I was reminded of a lot about what I researched for my university entrance exam interview, about what companies like Toyota do to motivate Thai workers. From now on, whenever I learn about operation management in business management, I feel like I will right away think of the scenery I saw in the factory today, which would also be helpful for my learning in the university as well.”

-Risa

“I would say that observing the factory and being able to discuss and explain things with and to my friends while we were walking through it helped enhance my own understanding of what was going on and the BM connections.”��

-Sameer

“I felt that this field trip was a good experience because we got to learn about Toyota’s operations while connecting it with the BM tools and theories that we have been learning for the past two years. The most memorable experience during the field trip was seeing the long conveyor belt/tunnel of cars being tested on. This was the most memorable experience to me because seeing the large amount of cars being worked on looked cool.”

-Jayden

“It was interesting to see that I was able to spot some similarities between the video we watched in class about Kaizen and during the tour. For example, the tools needed for production were placed in specific areas or kept in specific compartments which makes it easier for the employees to navigate the tools and minimizes the time wasted on finding the tools…This experience has made me realize that the concepts that we have learnt in class are important and correlate to the real world.”

-Ati

“As the tour guide continued to talk about their methods of production, I had these moments where I knew exactly what they were talking about which helped me to brush up on a few terms. This trip also allowed me to see an actual real life business operate like it does daily and I think that I was also a little thankful as working such long shifts must be very tiring for the workers, as well as working during the hot summers must be even worse”.

-�ܲ���������

“This was probably one of the most insightful field trips ever. It was super cool to see Toyota and how they operate. I never would have thought it takes like 90 seconds for some processes and that Toyota Thailand exports back to Japan despite Toyota being a Japanese company…Witnessing the efficiency and precision of Toyota’s operations firsthand was eye-opening, and it showed the importance of continuous improvement and lean principles in maximizing productivity.”

-Shivam

“Walking through the factory, I was amazed by the size and efficiency of the operation. Watching the workers and machines working together so seamlessly was very impressive. Despite learning a lot during the trip, it also left me with many questions. I found myself wondering about topics like supply chain management and the role of technology in the manufacturing process. I realized there’s still so much more to learn about how companies like Toyota operate.”

-Riyan

The post Toyota Ban Pho Plant Field Trip first appeared on �ۿ۴�ý | American International School - Wells.

The post Toyota Ban Pho Plant Field Trip appeared first on �ۿ۴�ý | American International School - Wells.

During the final months of semester 2, Environmental Systems and Societies (IB ESS) and Business Management (IB BM) teachers collaborated to bring in a series of guest speakers focusing on innovation and sustainability, part of the final senior projects for the grade 12 classes. Since the pandemic limited field trip opportunities, we brought the world to the students through this series, focused on shared concepts from business and environmental studies from both IBDP subjects.��

The inspiration for the event began when Dr. Ahmad, an associate professor of Development and Sustainability at the Asian Institute of Technology, within School of Environment, Resources and Development, came in to speak with the ESS class on his expertise “Adaptation Technologies for Climate Change: Some Solutions” in our Wells auditorium on March 3rd, 2021. ESS students were wrapping up their climate change forum, and Dr. Ahmad brought his expertise of SE Asia climate change adaptation projects, providing students with examples of the impact of climate change on local communities and possible solutions. The grade 12 students got a sense of what university lectures might be like, and with the return of online learning in April of 2021 due to COVID restrictions, it was the perfect opportunity to bring in more speakers virtually.

Dr. Silori

The BM/ESS guest speaker series was launched with the first speaker, Dr. Silori, sharing about “Environmental Responsibility of the Private Sector and Businesses”. Dr. Silori is an expert in forestry management, but he also serves as Deputy Executive Director of Regional Community Forestry Training Center for Asia and the Pacific (), a project by the FAO and UN, based here in Bangkok, Thailand. We were delighted by his talk as it peaked students’ interest in the role companies take, large and small, in the environmental impacts of their business practices. Dr. Silori left students with the challenge of what they will do as future business leaders to go beyond social corporate responsibility and incorporate the understanding and importance of the environment into how businesses operate.��

When asked to share some of the points they learned from the guest speaker, one student reflected, saying:

“Dr. Silori gave a phenomenal presentation today on the responsibilities of businesses in the private sector…Companies and corporations are shifting their focus towards following CSR, which is amazing! Although, it is not enough. They have to shift their focus and perspective to really achieve sustainability. Why the businesses in the private sector? Because the large ones tend to hold the money and muscle power to do so and be a leader. Raising awareness amongst people of all classes and languages, negotiating terms, educating the upcoming generations, etc. are the steps towards making a real change. As an aspiring entrepreneur, I want to remember these facts and ideas in the future when I have a business of my own.”

Mr. Adam Sharpe

The second guest speaker brought students a taste of futures-thinking thanks to the thoughts shared by Mr. Adam Sharpe, who brought in his expertise in strategy and consulting in the field of futures thinking for students to learn about. Mr. Sharpe co-founded , and has worked on various projects with the Asian Development Bank, the British Council, and the United Nations (UN). The goal of Metafuture School is to provide a space for young people to engage in 21st century skills development, and increase their capacity to meet the changes brought about by various economic, political and demographic shifts the world faces today.��

Students engaged in an activity to apply systems thinking tools, and Mr. Sharpe led them through how to use a Futures Wheel. One student reflected:��

“In ESS we talk about systems thinking and I think today I was able to understand and��apply it. The biggest take-away for me was about the question that I had asked him whether “it is possible to achieve the UN SDGs by 2030?”, after listening to the answer my perspective on the goals had changed. I used to think it was either black or white, yes or no type of question. But after the answer he gave today, made me realize that there is no real scale of measurement taking place for each SDG, it is just a vision and we all are working towards it collaboratively.”

Another student reflected that:

“…the most important takeaway of the speaker session today was to know that the the future is uncertain, and the best way to deal with that uncertainty is to come up with several scenarios of the future, the possibilities of what can happen and what solutions can we come up with in the event that these scenarios come into play…we have to consider the effects that the future scenarios had on STEEP… Social, Technological, Economic, Ecology, and Political, which are concepts that not only encompass the …BM and ESS subjects, but encompass all of human lives.”

Mr. Chris Oestereich

The final speaker for the BM/ESS collaboration was Mr. Chris Oestereich, who leads , a consulting firm that assists organizations with the transition towards the circular economy — developing waste to value products like handbags, eyeglass frames, and 3D printing filament. The BM/ESS classes had just completed their final collaborative project designing products for a circular economy and so it was a great link to see the similarities in the speaker’s work and the various student projects. Mr. Oestereich shared about his work as a co-founder of the and as publisher of the , an independent press that tackles humanity’s biggest challenges. Students also got the sense of what university lectures can be like, since he is also an adjunct professor at Thammasat University’s in the Social Enterprise program teaching courses related to social innovation, sustainability, and advocacy. Students were glad to hear from an expert in the field after their own trials and efforts in designing for the circular economy.����

Some reflections students had included:

“After listening to his projects I started thinking about how items in my room, my kitchen and the environment could be something better and help others when reused instead of being thrown away and burnt or thrown into the landfill or anything. Next time I buy things I will definitely start thinking about how the items that I buy could be reused…”

“For today’s speaker series, we talked about the Systems Thinking approach. It is a very��interesting concept and Mr. Chris’ knowledge of sustainability and different types of approaches within the systems thinking really helped me see the bigger picture and was a perfect ending to our ESS class…The idea I got from his talk today was to look at things from a holistic perspective and see how everything is connected. I would once again like to thank Mr. Chris for joining us today and giving his precious time to teach us something new and meaningful.”

Special Thanks

Yes, indeed! We are grateful to all the speakers for their willingness to give their time and share their wisdom and expertise within their fields of study. This experience provided students real-life connections with the syllabi from their IB BM and IB ESS courses. Despite the challenges these students face during this extended pandemic, the insights from these speakers may have left them with a spark to go out and make a difference in the world, one student at a time.��

��

Written By: Ms. Katherine Caouette, IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS) Teacher

The post IB BM & ESS Speaker Series for Seniors first appeared on �ۿ۴�ý | American International School - Wells.

The post IB BM & ESS Speaker Series for Seniors appeared first on �ۿ۴�ý | American International School - Wells.

An Open Challenge for Wells’ Future Change Agents

Did you know? Shift Happens…

We are living in exponential times!

So, what will our future look like?

An open challenge was presented to Business Management & Business Studies learners grades 10-12, our potential future change agents.�� This was an opportunity to demonstrate creative writing, a visionary mind, and also a chance for students to build up their CAS portfolio.��

Students were challenged to critically examine a concept that is becoming very dominant in today’s businesses, environment and our personal lives – ‘CHANGE’ – and think about the way our world is constantly changing. Business students were asked to correspond their personal thoughts and insights with the following title:

“Visualize the future and the impacts on the

nature of business and careers.”

Students who took on this challenge submitted a written blog post in response to this short stimulus video clip, which was posted in . Alongside Ms. Lee, IB Business Management teacher, Dr. Katina, CAS Coordinator, joined the judging panel and selected the winner.

Congratulations to Deep (Class of 2021) for winning the open Biz Challenge for IB business learners at Wells High School On Nut Campus!

Please take a chance to view Deep’s winning post by clicking on this link: and a chance to learn some insightful thoughts and cool knowledge from a fellow student.

The post IB Business Management: Biz Challenge first appeared on �ۿ۴�ý | American International School - Wells.

The post IB Business Management: Biz Challenge appeared first on �ۿ۴�ý | American International School - Wells.