It’s very interesting to think that there are only 2 weeks left in the semester and in this project. Time flies when we’re having fun! Working with my team and with Possehl has been an amazing and enriching experience despite the setbacks of the pandemic and it being completely virtual. 

COVID-19 and the pandemic have affected each of us in many different ways throughout this year. One way the pandemic affected me was the cancellation of the GBI: London program for the Summer of 2020. This program was meant to allow us to gain international experience through marketing classes and an internship. But it ended up being cancelled and students along with the rest of the world had to transition into a new norm. 

The pandemic has also affected the German startup we are working with, Possehl Online Solutions. It has affected the way they work and communicate with one another as well as with their clients. Possehl has had to work from home due to the pandemic and utilize the Zoom platform to continue communicating with their clients throughout the year. Zoom meetings and emails also have been the prominent form of communication between our team and our client. This has led to some difficult, new challenges we’ve encountered such as Zoom fatigue, time differences, as well as cultural differences I touched upon in the last blog post. 

There have also been many economic and trade difficulties due to COVID-19 that have affected Germany and the businesses within such as Possehl. For large periods of time many manufacturing plants were at a halt, export/imports were minimized, and many workers were laid off as companies downsized. This affected Possehl’s business model due to many companies they helped digitize were at a standstill for periods of time while the pandemic was still playing out. But due to innovative technology and Possehl’s background of digitalization they were able to work around this and move forward with the startup’s opening. Possehl already had a digital business model to work off of and aid B2B markets towards digitization. 

Working in this online environment is a challenge for everyone and it is amazing to see how resilient everyone has been in the last year. This year was a difficult time for everyone, but it was beautiful to see the new innovations that resulted in the pandemic and more people willing to learn how to be understanding of one another. There have been many setbacks but there have also been positives and new innovations that have helped the world grow a little closer together. The innovations and new problem solving since the pandemic have been exponential which led to new discoveries that can be built upon. 

Ultimately, this has been a difficult year for us all but I am proud of my team with how we’ve been able to overcome these challenges. We have been curious and on top of asking questions making sure we are ahead of our tasks. I look forward to seeing this project to the end and possible implementation of our suggestions.