What drew you to this project with Johnstons of Elgin?
There are three reasons why I wanted to work on this project. First, it involves risk assessment of the upstream supply chain (not just an internal company assessment), and I have always been deeply interested in sustainable supply chains. Second, Johnstons of Elgin's suppliers come from a wide range of sources, and the opportunity to communicate with herders as far away as Mongolia is very appealing to me. I love cross-cultural communication! Finally, I have limited knowledge about social sustainability, but I believe it's highly valuable to learn about it through practice, and I was particularly drawn to the practical application of these methods.
How did the consultancy course fit into your overall experience of the MSc Global Strategy and Sustainability (GSS) degree?
The consultancy course was the highlight of my GSS degree. I gained a lot from the entire process, both in terms of sustainable knowledge and soft skills improvement. I sincerely hope this course continues for future students.
What was your experience of doing the project?
I thoroughly enjoyed the meetings and interactions with Johnstons of Elgin's Sustainability Specialist, Iain Findlay, as well as the exchanges with different stakeholders and industry experts. The support from our course instructor, Rick Woodward, was invaluable. I also felt very honoured to interview Mongolian herders, which I consider a rare opportunity. Additionally, my course colleagues - Leyla Ozcan, Vegard Fladby, and Zhihan Huang - were so friendly and supportive, making it the most impressive teamwork experience I had as a graduate student.
What did you produce at the end of the project?
Based on the UN Social Life Cycle Assessment guidelines, we identified two major social risk impact categories and 19 subcategories. We highlighted three important risks, such as access to material resources, and provided three recommendations to enhance the herders' livelihood security, such as supporting investment in training.
What skills have you taken from this experience and applied to your current workplace?
The transferable skills I improved during the project, including communication and negotiation skills, research abilities, and teamwork, as well as the sustainable consulting experience, have been invaluable to my career planning and development.
To learn more about this Business Consultancy Project, watch the following videos: