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This experience at the Itchitan Factory was a fascinating one as I was able to get a lot of insights into a very capital intensive factory. In Itchitan there aren't that many employees that take part in the production process apart from the first part in which they need human labor to deal with the boiling water. After that it is all automated and Itchitan is able to produce 600 bottles of drinks per minute. Looking at ‘place’ in the marketing mix, the way which the Itchitan drinks gets to the consumers may likely be from a two channel distribution network in which Itchitan may sell their drinks in bulk to wholesalers such as Makro. From then on, it may go to retailers such as Tops Supermarket, Villa, Big C, 7/11, etc.

The tour itself was really nice as it was separated into 3 different sections: Tanformer, Leaf to Life and the Interactive Exhibition. In the Tanformer, we were able to see their process of mass production and the different machines that were used. Based on this we can assume that their revenue expenditures are more likely to be high due to maintenance costs of the machines. In the Leave to Life section it focuses on how they are able to create bottles such that it reduces energy and plastic consumption. It was also really fascinating to hear that Captain Tan actually donates 90% of Itchitan profits towards charity. Hence, not only are they supplying drinks in large quantities but they are also making sure they are giving back to the community. This heavily links to the corporate social responsibility (CSR) in which consumers may have better perception of the brand. Lastly, for the interactive exhibition we were able to watch videos on seals and how they were being harmed by global warming and carbon emissions, thus the link with Itchitan here is they tried addressing that by saying that they are focused on helping that decrease too. Other things in the interactive section included taking photos with an AI version of Captain Tan which was fun.

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Fire photo of Business Management students with the Business Management teacher

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Visiting the Tan Land was truly a beautiful, enlightening and eye-opening experience. Viewing all of the theoretical material and content we had built up over the two years applied in practical terms genuinely excited me. The capital intensive nature of the factory, the mass production, and bunch of machinery was enticing and I was in awe watching the entire automated process (though it included some human intervention). Such large factories, I believe, are not things that one stumbles upon everyday like local sole-traders or retailers, hence it was a completely new and refreshing experience. The factory had countless parts to it, such as the massive warehouse, the actual machinery, the making process of the tea, etc... The fact that all parts of the business operation was condensed into one area made the experience even more informative and enjoyable. The accommodation was top-notch, and it feels like it was tailored towards allowing students to experience business skills and operations, such as the informative presentations or the introductory video. The facility was almost futuristic and somewhat sci-fi looking in the coolest way. Some of the most interesting observations I made include:

1) The amount of defects that the operation leads to. I was looking at the bottles being produced and realized that so many to get defected and have to be thrown away. Looking at it made me wonder: where does it go? Is it sold to consumers at a lower price? It was interesting to think about the fact that there must be a whole other objective regarding the treatment of these defects that likely bundle and accumulate through the flow-production of Ichitan over time.

2) The flood highlighted in the video presentation genuinely moved me. It was touching to observe how negatively impacting the flood was to the company and to the city in general. It led me to understand the gravity of external factors on not only businesses but societies in general. We'd often learn of things such as the PEST or the STEEPLE, but seeing things in actuality rather than just hypothetical words truly deepened my understanding and empathy. It also opened doors to me considering the influences these external factors can have in terms of businesses. For instance, I realized the amount of motivation Ichitan's BOD or managers would have to generate amongst the employees to regenerate the prior sales, work together, and have them return to the pre-existing drive. During crisis, it can be assumed that people's emotions would not be as structured as usual, with people having different self-interests (for instance, taken from SLIM), which can lead to resistance to change, etc... Therefore, it shows that these external factors don't only have effects on financial aspects but also many other.

All in all, I learnt many more of the little things that may not be explained in words but are rather felt and contextualized. Each and every detail of this experience will likely enhance my awareness of the different business units and its application to the BM paper 1 case study. Now I must embark on a journey to the paper 1 with the guide of captain Tan himself, as I feel the support of his guidance through this pathway.

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The experience at SK TES was a very unique one and had largely differed from Itchitan. In SK TES we were given a presentation on the company in which they highlighted their mission statement and spoke about the role of SK TES and what they do. SK TES deals with e-waste such as old laptops or other devices and transforms them into different products so that they can be reused again. They follow a resource recovery model in which they sell products through B2B mainly and also sometimes through business to consumers which they sell second hand products through ecommerce by using Lazada and Shopee. SK-TES also formed a strategic alliance with True and Dtac where there are different e-waste recycling boxes placed in the stores and the general public can just place any of their e-waste there. This helps with raising awareness for SK-TES and helps promote True and Dtacs CSR.

What separates SK TES from the rest of their competitors in Thailand is that they are a central hub for recycling batteries in Thailand. It was mentioned in their presentation that they are the only company in Thailand to do so. SK TES in Thailand has the role of discharging the batteries and from there they send it to Singapore where they will further recycle it. It was really interesting to hear that Thailand isn’t actually allowed to import any of these batteries into the countries but they are allowed to export it. This ties in with STEEPLE in which policies by the government are set to prevent this. These thoughts can be put into Abraca too as they also sell B2B and will most likely follow a resource recovery model regarding their e-waste line which they convert circuit boards into gold and sell them to jewelry makers. Depending on the country which Abraca falls in, their policies may be different. It may also tie in with the value of the gold. Since it isn’t retrieved from mines is it really as valuable as pure gold?

Overall this experience was really cool as it was great to see the difference between a capital intensive business in Itchitan and a labor intensive business in SK TES where they need highly skilled workers to go about their business.

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Visiting Tan Land

Visiting Tan Land was a very cool opportunity to experience and see the production process of Ichitan's drinks. After entering, we were prompted with a video to watch, which detailed the history of Ichitan and tea as a whole. We were then able to walk through the facilities of Ichitan. Walking through the facility, we saw the magnitude of automation that Ichitan had. The silence and cleanliness contradicting the traditional image of an actual factory was somewhat disturbing. This made Ichitan feel like an industrial site, where a lot of happening. Their factories were capital intensive, with little to no workers present. Seeing many rows of machines and robotic-arms performing tasks that used to be done by humans made me realize that in modem manufacturing, the human role has shifted towards designing and supervising the systems. We also learned that Ichitan is going "green", as shown by the entrance. The transition from green to industrial and back to green has shown me that despite the use of heavy machinery, Ichitan still has care for sustainability and the environment.

In relation to BM, seeing the massive machinery and mass production shows the economies of scale done by Ichitan. This helped me understand the competitive pricing of Ichitan, while also showing profit from economies of scale. Also, it showed us a good case for capital intensive production, as it gave us an idea of high initial R&D costs versus the low long-term variable costs. Tan land also shows us the physical evidence, by turning a factory into a tourist destination. By doing this, Ichitan allows its production process to also become a marketing tool. In relation, their "green" mission also becomes a unique selling point of Ichitan, differentiating themselves from competitors who might not be as transparent as Ichitan. This can help as through-the-line promotion, as both helps the image of the company and can help boost visitors/customers.

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The experience to SK Tes definitely felt more raw in comparison to the Ichitan experience. That is likely due to the fact that we were deliberately interrupting and observing a regular workflow in process, unlike the educational center-styled layout of Ichitan. I was intrigued by the amount of stock space that the facility had, in addition to the kindness of the employees and our main guide. The addition of the lady truly heightened the experience and allowed the students to make explicit connections between the business management content and the operations of SK Tes, unlike the Ichitan factory. I also enjoyed the application it could allow for the Paper 1, as the lady explained things that were directly mentioned in the pre-released statement, such as B2B and growth options. Some connections I saw were:

1) Growth options. The lady mentioned that the SK Tes factory would form strategic alliances with well known companies such as DTAC or True, acting as a strategy for promotion and increasing the perceived CSR of both the allied company and SK Tes.

2) I think the company’s operations also directly relates to the applications of unit 1.6: Multinational Companies. Because SK Tea originated in Korea and Singapore, its movement to other nations would mimic (and does mimic) the theoretical content we learn in unit 1. For instance, we see that SK Tes has somewhat of a first-mover advantage coming into Thailand where the e-waste market is not as potent and condensed. Additionally, its hiring of local workers will directly impact the activity of the national economy. Lastly, as an MNC, it can be assumed that market research costs are extremely high in regards to understanding the local culture, trends, markets, and language. Once more, like reflection on the Ichitan factory, seeing all these little, real-world factors needing to be considered from offshoring shows the amount of minute decision making businesses have to make for every choice to minimize high opportunity costs.

3) Visiting the factory enhanced my understanding of the importance of fringe benefits and hygiene factors in relation to Herzberg’s two factor theory. The facility had no air conditioning and was very humid, which visibly upset even the students and made us lose our focus. Additionally, the rough conditions of the faculty correlated with a lack of exploration. This was the reaction from those who temporarily visited, showing the impact that these lack of hygiene factors may have on motivation daily. Actually being in the scenario truly allowed us to feel those withdrawals and the effects it had on our perception.

Overall, SK Tes was great in terms of actually connecting to the business management objectives, not only because the organization relates to this year’s paper 2 more, but also because the employees (the guiding lady) stated explicit business connections. yay

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The visit to the SK Tes was a cool inside look into the e-waste industry. Before visiting, I thought recycling was it going into a factory and it being made or broken down into something else. However, seeing the industrial scale of the assets being thrown away first hand has revealed the amount of labor and high-tech infrastructure that is required to manage the growing e-waste problem. What surprised me the most was the juxtaposition of raw waste and technology. In one area of the factory, there were many boxes and bags full of discarded hardware. However, on the other side, the environment shifts into a technological data destruction area. The transition between the two was very fascinating to me. This visit to SK Tes changed my overall view for my technological devices.

In relation to Business Management, SK Tes is a good example of using circular business models. Unlike other traditional firms that use a linear model, SK Tes focuses on value recovering. By refurbishing 1.2M+ devices annually, they help extend the product's life cycle, which is a key strategy for sustainable operations. Also, we observed how they used lean production principles to process e-waste. Their management system ensures a clear custody chain, which is used in quality management and building trust with B2B clients who care about data security. Also, SK Tes has a unique selling point due to their sustainability. Their focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions for their clients shows how CSR can be a core strategic driver rather than just a tactic for marketing.

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My experience at the Ichitan factory was one that was truly amazing. I was very fascinated with the capital intensive factory, as most of the parts in the production process involved automated machines, with only a few employees needed. This allowed Ichitan to produce around 600 bottles of their drinks in a minute with the mass production utilized. The Ichitan factory itself was very modern, and it was quite organized which showed the importance of maintaining the factory. The tour inside the factory was very unique, as there were Ipads in different locations of the factory which allowed us to take photos of ourselves with a generated photo of Captain Tan standing next to us. This shows us the efficiency of the use of technology from the company. There were different stations inside the factory such as the transformer where we were able to view the production process which was a mass production. However during the process, there was a utilization of quality assurance to ensure that the bottles meet the standards, and I realized how out of the thousands of bottles getting produced, there were only around 10 bottles which failed the quality assurance in the span of around 4-5 minutes of watching. This shows how Ichitan really values its quality standards for its drinks and that if it doesn’t pass the required quality standards, then the drinks are put on the side. The next station was the Leave to life which was regarding the creation of bottles and how that reduces the energy consumption. From this section, I was able to learn a lot about the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the company, as it was mentioned to us how Captain Tan donated around 90% of the profits towards charity which shows us how highly the company values donation. Overall, it was a very fun experience visiting the Ichitan factory, and it was one that was very memorable since I haven’t visited a factory like this before.

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My experience at the SK TES factory was quite different from the one at the Ichitan factory, as we were shown a presentation about the company, and the way in which it operates. SK TES was quite different from Ichitan, as this was a very labor intensive company where there were lots of employees working. SK TES does e-waste recycling of old devices, which then turns into a different product so that it can be reused once again. They sell their products through a Business 2 Business (B2B) mostly as they have their resource recovery ways. At times, they do also have Business 2 Consumers as they sell their second hand products from Shoppee. They also have a strategic alliance with famous mobile companies such as True and Dtac where they collect the e waste from customers from these stores, which also makes customers have a good perception of both True and Dtac, as it shows the commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). SK TES showed me how businesses are able to operate sustainably while managing their finances. They are also the only company in Thailand to recycle batteries, where they discharge the batteries, and they make sure it has 0 volt before sending it to Singapore to recycle it further on. Thailand has a government law where they can’t import batteries, however they could import it. This gave me a very good view of how an e-waste company really works, and how it operates with the products. It also helps tie in with the new BM case study of Abraca (ABC), so it shows how there could be some similarities within the two companies so it gives a good idea of how they may also operate. Overall, it was a very unique and interesting experience as we also got to view the work that employees were doing, and how they protect the information, which suggests that they need to be very skilled at the work that they are doing, which shows how the employees need to have training beforehand.

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Visiting the Ichitan factory was a very interesting and enjoyable experience. Tan Land was filled with interactive elements for visitors, which made the experience much more engaging and fun. In addition, they were able to showcase the entire factory, which was especially interesting as we could clearly see that the factory is very capital intensive, with barely any workers actually in the machinery area. It was cool to see how the bottles were mass produced by machines with barely any human assistance, from the stage where the plastic was expanded into a bottle shape to minimize material usage, all the way until the bottles were packaged into boxes. This showed how the company is trying to care for the environment while still producing and selling its drinks efficiently. We could also see that the company reflects more of a paternalistic leadership style under Captain Tan due to the fact that his face is displayed everywhere and he seems to act as a role model throughout the company. This care that Ichitan has can also be seen by how the company helped take care of people when flooding occurred in that area before.

Some of the things I learned from this visit were that the company appears to be highly motivated under the leadership of Captain Tan. Not only are employees working in the factory with a sense of purpose, but there are also staff members who take students like us on tours. This creates interactions with students and visitors, making the company feel connected to the outside world rather than just being a closed-off factory. It also provides physical evidence of the company’s culture and operations. Additionally, the efficiency of the factory was actually really impressive, with highly standardized products and processes due to mass production. While watching the production process, there were only around 8 bottles that did not meet the quality requirements during inspection. This shows how they’ve maximized efficiency through economies of scale while still trying to remain green and sustainable. On top of all of this, it is actually impressive that Captain Tan continues to donate 90% of his profits to charity.

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The experience at SK Tes was also really interesting and actually quite different from what I had initially imagined. At first, I thought the place would be capital intensive and filled with very strict control and procedures throughout the place, even from the front gate when we had to attach an ID on our shirts. However, when I entered, it was actually very welcoming. They gave us water and food and even allowed us into a secure room. Not only that, but the company also seemed to be more labour intensive than capital intensive. The security and control of the place are managed mainly by only authorizing specific employees to enter certain areas. The workplace itself was also somewhat messy, but that makes sense because it is mainly a site where management and production take place.

Some of the things I learned from the trip were that the company is actually very sustainable and handles many of its operations with care, such as battery recycling and IT disposition. The place also seemed like it needed a lot of creativity and innovation, but from what I learned from what they said, those activities actually take place in another branch. Because of this, it seems like the company may be structuring their organization by function. It was also interesting to learn that the multinational company has its headquarters in Singapore, which plays an important role in handling imports and exports. In the branch we visited in Thailand, we could clearly see the connections with STEEPLE factors, as government regulations affect the company by not allowing the import of broken down materials. However, there are also external influences that support the company’s success, such as the rise in EV batteries, especially BYD’s EV batteries which help keep revenue stable. Moreover, the company has strategic alliances with multiple businesses like BYD, such as True/DTAC in order to raise awareness and for CSR efforts, benefitting both companies. It was also very interesting to see the SEK tes’s multiple revenue streams and how they manage so many operations, which reflects their need for strong control. From the question I asked about which revenue stream is most stable, they explained that they try to balance their product portfolio, which I found interesting. This shows how well they manage the business and maintain control, while still motivating employees through financial rewards as well as intrinsic motivation, such as a sense of purpose of helping the environment e.g. by having zero landfills. This may encourage people to want to work there in the first place.

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The Ichitan factory was quite an interactive and fun place, which was interesting to see and experience. I had a great time there as we navigated through the tours with videos and interactive demonstrations of their journey and process, as well as what they do for the environment. It was quite innovative of them to use their own plastic bottles and bottle caps to decorate various areas of the facility, and even more fascinating to stand there and watch the production process in play. There were so many elements within the experience that reflected what we have learned in BM, a stark contrast from simply having ''real-world" experiences through a case study. At Ichitan, it was noticeable how they were quite capital-intensive, how they used different revenue streams (eg; the tour and the souvenirs). I feel as if Ichitan communicated their sustainability goals and their reputation through the amazing accommodations and a very clean and safe environment, complete with the numerous ways they made the experience fun and interactive while also promoting their business in a way. In addition to the cleanliness and thoroughly organized process of the tour experience, as the factory tea-making process was also on display at certain times, it was clear that they maintain this organized production process throughout the entirety of the factory, knowing what goes where and what machine works in which ways. Everything was very clean and reflective of the brand image Ichitan has/is aiming to create, plus displaying their CSR policies. It was also quite interesting to see how despite being a bottled tea producing business, Ichitan had enhanced themselves technologically in so many ways, with clearly having skilled labor in the field of animation, AI, and graphic design. Furthermore, the interactive visual experience with the seal videos and mini game of collecting energy had presented Ichitan in multiple perspectives: caring and knowing about global sustainability issues + attempting to mitigate, being up-to-date and modern with new technology and trends, and the willingness to raise awareness by using the videos to not only engage but also teach people about the world and their own operations (eg; the game showing how much energy and specific resources complied would create how many bottles of Ichitan tea). Overall, I enjoyed this trip so much. At first I was not expecting much, but the experience was quite immersive and engaging.

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The SK TES facility was quite interesting and rather different from what I had expected after coming from Ichitan. At first, I was not too fond of the somewhat disorganized and scattered facility in comparison to Ichitan's facility experience. Everything was uncovered and cluttered, with seemingly less of a comforting and safe environment for us and the workers in the facility. However, after listening to the presentation, walking around, and also hearing responses from the Q&A session, I learned a lot more about how the facility works in an organized manner with several sustainability concerns being taken into account, as well as transparency. Rather than cluttered, it started to feel more homey in some ways, as if we truly came into their facility on a random occassion to observe. They had also expressed previous mishaps in regards to safety and protection, which enhanced their honest and transparent business image in my opinion. In addition, it was clear that they are very focused on their sustainability mission and are knowledgeable in regards to how they process e-waste and contribute positively to the environment, especially with the numerous certifications and awards displayed. I believe that SK TES had more hands-on learning experiences, especially in regards to understanding more about paper one. I learned how they operate, how there are numerous regulations they need to follow in order to operate in the way they do, work culture, benefitting from local labor, B2B marketing strategies, security and management protocols, and so much more when it came to observing and listening to the processes that undergo in SK TES. It was also eye-opening, as I had initially questioned ABC's selling to jewellers revenue stream from being a concrete company, to an e-waste facillity as well. However, after seeing how they can use graphite waste to make cotton in order to create company uniforms of all things was maybe the most interesting thing I have heard from them in the experience, which gives me a lot of new ideas in regards to ABC's revenue streams. Overall, SK TES' physical evidence had been a contrast to their goals and repuatbility as the leading sustainable e-waste processing facillity, however, they did provide a lot of insight on how they operate, what restrictions are present, and aspects regarding the business which provide a true business facility like feeling alongside a definite learning experience for the paper 1.

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The trip to the Ichitan factory was rather enlightening for me. I had never really properly seen the interior of a factory before in person. Being able to see the assembly line and its capital-intensive process (they used less manual labour and more machinery) was fascinating. The entire experience was enjoyable and entertaining; from the option to take photos with the AI-generated Captain Tan, to picking our fortune with fake tea-leaves, and watching the videos about the origins of tea, Tan Land was able to balance education with excitement. Some BM connections that I found interesting include:

Ichitan's Operations Method seemed to be Mass Production. The process of making and bottling the tea was highly standardized, as one of the videos explained. We could also see how the assembly line had a section with advanced laser beams that scanned for any defects and automatically removed the imperfect bottles.

I believe that Captain Tan could be classified as an Intellectual Property, as Ichitan's intangible asset. Although Captain Tan is a real person, his presence is woven throughout the brand. Even when he was in the hospital, he was present in the form of statues and through AI, transcending physical limitations to be valuable branding that sets Ichitan apart from other brands.

I also noticed that Ichitan seemed to have a rather strong CSR, as Captain Tan played a philanthropistic role, appealing to the locals.

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Visiting Tan Land was genuinely one of the most exciting and fun experiences I've ever had throughout this IB journey. I never thought there would be a day when I would be able to genuinely visit the factory producing the honey lemon tea (that I LOVEE), and get to go educate myself on all the different efforts and production efforts that go into producing these drinks. I had a great time visiting all the different sections and interactive activities we went through, learning more and more about the small details of Ichitan as a beverage-producing business. Some of the valuable insights I've gotten from this field trip definitely connected back to the different BM units and terms we've learnt, which was definitely very useful and effective in understanding the BM concepts even more. There were so many different observations that I found were super shocking and fascinating at the same time.

Some of the most memorable and outstanding ones were:

The stock/storage room for all the drinks: I was so shocked and impressed by how many batches/boxes of drinks were placed in the storage room. It genuinely felt like I was in a room full of treasure, as it was so much to the point where we couldn't even catch up with just our eyes!

The amount of drinks produced everyday; there was this one digital board that kept counting the amount of drinks that was produced from 12:00am of that day to around 14:00 pm, and the staff had mentioned that it had already produced about 800,000 bottles. This was such a surprise to me, as I didn't realize how efficiently they produce these drinks, with Ichitan genuinely considering economies of scale while producing these bottles.

How capital-intensive the entire factory was; there were few to no employees working with the automated machines to produce the drinks, which I was quite amazed by, as we were able to genuinely count how many employees there were in the entire day. It made me realize how the business wasn't exactly labour-intensive, but rather invested more in high capital expenditure, thus leading to the business being capital-intensive.

The number of defects found. While observing the production and scanning process of these drinks through the automated machines, I realized that there were so many defective drinks. This made me ponder and question how much waste is produced every day due to these defects that occur once in a while among these drinks. This led me to think of whether or not it affects the flow of the production process, or if it just leads to more waste being produced, due to these bottles also having to be thrown away.

Overall, the educational tour and the observations made throughout the factory were very helpful, and it was really nice to learn and dig deeper into. Having different sections and interactional activities definitely allows Ichitan to raise more awareness about their brand image, which could further improve their CSR as well, depending on how well they promote the sustainable aspect that Ichitan considers. I believe that the biggest takeaway from this trip was that businesses that produce in mass or batch should maximize their efficiency and production through economies of scale, while also being able to promote education and awareness through different opportunities, such as this Tan Land educational tour. I believe that this trip was very memorable and nice, and having Captain Tan all over Ichitan also displayed how big of an impact he had on the company, as well as the accomplishments and achievements that he had gained outside of the organization as well.

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SK TES was nowhere near as flashy or engaging as the Ichitan factory. However, it was still educational and even more educationally fulfilling. Where Ichitan felt more like a fun tour, SK TES felt like a hands-on trial experience. We could see the people working in real time, and the guides were helpful in explaining all the processes and functions as we toured the area. When we first arrived, we immediately headed to a conference room, where we were given a slideshow presentation. While I can't be sure of it, I suspect the guide made this slideshow specifically for business students, since it contained relevant information to us that other clients might disregard (for instance, their vision and mission statements), which was very thoughtful. After we toured the indoor site, we were led back to the conference room, where we were kindly offered snacks and water, and the guide offered to answer our questions. Even though Ichitan was more entertaining, I felt more touched by my experience at SK TES. I liked how the guide took us seriously and accommodated us while answering all of our questions. It made me feel seen and respected, and the fact that the workers and guide seemed genuinely motivated and passionate in their work was definitely inspiring. Some things I found interesting include:

The reason why they were so accommodating to us was because it was their way of promoting themselves. Through word of mouth and by educating business students, they simultaneously become better known, benefiting all parties.

SK TES seems to fall under the operation method of job production, since the services are personalized.

It seemed like the workers' main non-financial reward was job enrichment, since there would be unpredictable and appropriately challenging work that came with each client. In other words, the work did not seem monotonous.

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The business class meditating with Captain Tan to prepare for IB exams. 

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I believe that visiting Tan Land was an eye-opening experience because it was probably my first time visiting a factory, especially the factory of a company I am very familiar with. I believe that when we consume products, most of the time we do not realize what were the behind the scenes, like the production of the product. Now that I have visited the factory, I am eager to learn more about other products, both similar and dissimilar to Ichitan. I realized that Captain Tan was moving towards maximum machine production efficiency. It was very interesting to see how technology plays a role in a company, because I used to assume machines would take over human jobs and opportunities, but I realized that Ichitain Green Factory was using technology to ensure high productivity with few to no defects. The way the bottles were scanned in such a short amount of time is something humans may not be able to match, and if one production line slows down, as per business theories, the whole production line also slows down. Also, given the daily demand for Ichitain's drinks, machines are used to meet that demand, enabling economies of scale. I believe this experience will help me get into the mind of Abraca (ABC), as it is also a manufacturing company, and connect with the matter of sustainability in manufacturing, as Ichitain factory has reduced plastic waste by redesigning its packaging. Things I noticed

Every space in the Ichitain factory was used for a purpose, maximizing capacity.

There was CSR from the Ichitan factory as Captain Tan gave back to the community and helped a lot especially when there was a flood crisis.

Ichitans unique selling point is their green leave came from the Ankha village instead of common and famous primary producers which a lot of other companies may use.

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SK Tes factory really helped me understand e-waste and its importance. I am not a big fan of technology, especially computer hardware; however, this factory kept me engaged, and they did a very good job of connecting it to other areas outside of IT, such as policies, which I really enjoyed. Additionally, I realized the hardships of trying to be sustainable, such as in Thailand, where you can't import any waste products. This helped me realize that most companies worldwide are trying to be sustainable, but sometimes the rules and regulations may not allow them to be. Additionally, SK Tes touched on many areas of business, such as partnerships with True and DTAC, which helped them not only gain recognition but also expand their business to reach new consumers, such as Users who buy products from True and DTAC. It was a great experience seeing each room dedicated to a single department. Also, seeing both Tan Land and SK Tes helped me see the differences between the companies. Tan Land is very capital-intensive, while SK Tes is the opposite, being labor-intensive. This helped me understand that different businesses have different operations and sometimes operations outside of their current one may not fit their business and can instead cause more problems, such as SK Tes using newer technology whenever they want to minimize the impact of e-waste. I believe that this experience helped me understand that e-waste is not a boring topic, and as a visual learner, getting to see how the process is for e-waste really helped me understand more about Abraca, and I feel more confident about my Paper 1 BM exam.

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Photo with the SK TES employees and us (Wells students) !!

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The visit to SK TES was definitely one of the most interesting and fun trips I've ever experienced throughout my high school career! As I am interested in educational sustainability and environmental sustainability as a whole, it was a pleasure and honour to be able to visit SK TES. I have always wanted to go to an E-Waste Factory focusing on recycling and reusing these different waste, specifically derived from electronic devices, and one of my bucket list activities indeed did come true! Although there was a stark contrast between Tan Land and SK TES' factory, I believe that SK TES also had a lot of appealing points that really attracted me to wanting to learn more about their organization. Their workplace and factory were much smaller than Tan Land, and much more messier/disorganized than what I expected them to look like. Although it wasn't as fancy or organized as I thought it would be, what made me feel very comfortable in the workplace was the employees working there. All of them, including the head manager of SK TES Thailand, were super friendly and welcoming, which made me understand that even if their working environment isn't physically aesthetic or appealing, because of the people there, it made it a workplace worth going to and working for every day. The presentation that they had provided for us really helped me understand the background context of E-waste management in Thailand and other countries, as well as the processes that go through managing these different forms of E-waste.

It was really interesting to learn that SK TES' main driver and main E-waste product was derived from batteries, most typically batteries from EV cars or electrical devices. I didn't exactly know how batteries were recycled or shipped into different countries, so understanding the mechanism behind that was very helpful and intriguing. Furthermore, this experience to SK TES allowed me to connect and link a lot of factors and infromation to our paper 1 case study organization, ABRACA, which waqs super helpful and useful to knoew about. As we learnt more on E-wste focusidng on circuit boards, laptops, different revenue streams, and more, this allowed me to expand the possible information that may come up in the upcoming exam, which definitely allowed me to become more knowldgeabnle bout the context of the case study to a certain extent. In addition to all of this, I really liked how they mentioned their vision and mission statement clearly, alongside the strategies they have been using to achieve these specific statements. I really liked how they explicitly mentioned it in their presentation, as this immediately allowed me to understand what their main driver or purpose of this business was.

As one of the biggest E-waste recycling factories in the world (and operating as a multinational company), I believe that this experience was definitely super interesting and helpful for me, allowing me to understand more concepts not just linking to BM but also to ESS.