We did not meet in person for class this week and were instead assigned to watch the Erin Brockovich Movie. I enjoyed watching this film as it strongly correlates with the theme of corporate social responsibility we have discussed throughout our time in Italy. PG&E had a responsibility to the community and the environment; however, they neglected this responsibility by not addressing the contamination issue and instead protecting their profits. Erin Brockovich, on the other hand, took it upon herself to fight for justice and hold PG&E accountable for their actions. She wanted to ensure that the company would take responsibility for the harm it caused to the community. 

My head boss at Gen-USA traveled to the United States in order to attend business conferences this week. I was assigned a research project on Cross-Cultural HR Management to complete virtually. It was interesting to research this topic and help the company prepare to effectively transition Italian companies into the United States. Although we did not go into the office to work this week, Jimmy, Sam, and I met 2 other interns and another colleague and his friend for lunch. We went to the restaurant Pizza e Mozzarella and it was delicious! It was definitely sad to say goodbye to the other interns and employees, but I am so beyond thankful for my time at Gen-USA!

This weekend 22 of us traveled to Tuscany where we stayed in a remote villa for 2 nights. When we first arrived at the train station, everything quickly turned into a scramble because we realized that the villa was much farther and secluded than anticipated. We split up and a group of us went grocery shopping and then taxied to the villa. Once we arrived at the villa the weekend sped by. We spent most of our time outside by the pool and on a beautiful patio overlooking the countryside. After spending Friday and Saturday in the countryside, we traveled to Florence for the day. To finish off our perfect weekend, we all got dinner at a delicious restaurant and then journeyed home to Milan for our last few days. 

This week in class we discussed and debated the case study involving Apple and its suppliers. It was interesting to debate with classmates over certain questions pertaining to the case such as should Apple be allowed to apply different ethical rights to employees in different countries? In general, when a large corporation goes global, they outsource their labor to other countries in which they can pay less for their supplies than they would in the United States. Although they are producing their product cheaper, real human lives are being impacted by the potential hazardous conditions and low pay. I think that the ethical conditions are wrong; however, I do not believe it is necessarily Apple’s responsibility to control what goes on in other companies. 

At Gen-USA this week I worked with 2 other interns to find personal contact information for potential sales engineer hires for the company Zanasi. After finding candidates’ contact information, I was tasked with creating a template LinkedIn message and a template Twitter message. The template messages that I created are to be sent to inform candidates of Zanasi’s interest in them for the sales engineer role and also explain what the role entails. It was fun to be on the other end of the recruitment process reaching out to people about a job as my only experience has been on the other side of this process – as an applicant. Continue to enjoy my time at the office and can’t wait for the next 2 weeks!

Today a group of us woke up and traveled to the Milano Centrale train station to catch our 9:25 AM train to Lake Garda. We were super excited to spend a day swimming and relaxing by the lake, but this plan was completely crushed. When we arrived at Centrale, we quickly found out that the train workers were on strike and therefore our train was canceled. We decided to find a yummy brunch spot and head back to Aparto where we tanned and listened to music outside. Tomorrow I leave for Rapallo beach where I will be enjoying a girls trip! I am super excited to escape the scorching heat in the city and swim and explore a new beach town!!

In class this week we discussed 2 Business Roundtable statements – one released in 1997 and the other released in 2019. Our task was to debate whether the 2019 statement is empty rhetoric, or if it is a statement of the purpose for a corporation because it will bring about real change. I think that although the 2019 statement is much more clear and understandable than the original 1997 release, there is no way to ensure that the signed on companies will actually abide by the “promises”. Because this is not a legal document, companies have no obligation to actually implement the statement. On Wednesday, we watched the film A Civil Action. I enjoyed the exploration of the complex legal battle and the ethical dilemmas encountered in pursuing justice against powerful corporations.

This week at my internship at Gen-USA, I was tasked with researching competitors of the company Tacita. Tacita is an Italian electric motorcycle manufacturer that specializes in producing off-road and dual-sport electric motorcycles, and a client of Gen-USA. I enjoyed this research project because I was involved in real company business and got to engage with numerous employees and interesting sources. I have really appreciated my internship thus far because it has been an awesome experience to work with fellow interns and also more experienced employees of the firm.  For cooking class at my boss’ house this Wednesday, we got to prepare and eat home cooked lasagne. The lasagne was actually very simple to make, but it was absolutely delicious – even Jimmy ate it all! 

This weekend I traveled to Barcelona, Spain! It was my first time in Spain, and I was super excited to visit because it has been on my bucket list for a long time. We arrived around 7PM on Friday, dropped our stuff off at our AirBnb and went straight to tapas. Our dinner was some of the best food I have ever eaten and we sat at the restaurant trying new dishes from 10PM to 1AM. On Saturday, we went sightseeing around the city. Maddy, Sara, and I went into the Sagrada Familia, and it was absolutely amazing. That night, I got to see my Ukrainian childhood friend for dinner, and then she joined us on our night out with other Lehigh students abroad in Barcelona. On Sunday we rented a boat and it was so much fun getting to swim in the open water!

We watched the documentary The Corporation in class this week. The film examined the behavior of corporations and explored their influence on society. I thought that the argument that corporations possess the characteristics of psychopathic individuals was very interesting. It was mind blowing to take a deep dive into corporations’ relentless pursuit of profit, disregard for the well-being of people and the environment, and their ability to manipulate governments and communities to serve their interests. After watching the film, I feel encouraged to question the dominant role of corporations in our lives and consider alternative models of business that prioritize social and environmental well-being. Watching the film in class serves as a wake-up call, urging us to demand greater transparency, accountability, and ethical behavior from corporations.

This week at Gen-USA was amazing! Jimmy and I worked on numerous projects and got to see our hard work benefit the company first hand. We were assigned the task of finding sales managers for a position at Zanasi, an Italian company that produces labels for the manufacturing industry. In addition, we had to find contact information for various warehouses that the company is interested in renting  out. After completing both tasks, we heard our boss call a potential sales manager candidate we found, and also call a few of the warehouse representatives. Another thing I enjoyed this week was cooking class at our head partner’s apartment for lunch on Wednesday. It was such a fun experience learning how to make home-made carbonara from local Milanese and spending time with my colleagues outside of the office. 

This weekend was packed with travel! On Friday, a few of us day tripped to Genoa. Once we arrived at the train station, we immediately decided we needed to get to the beach. The beach we ended up at was at least a 20 minute walk from the train station, and was nothing like Monterosso had been a couple weeks prior. We all passed out at our lounge chairs, and ended up swimming in the ocean for a little before heading back to Milan. Saturday we visited the Italian Alps and it was such a fun experience. Getting to do the rope course was so fun and I thought it was really cool we learned how to set up our own zip lines! The hike up the lake was beautiful, and although it wasn’t as flat as the IES people said it would be, the view was well with it. Today we went to Venice and although the journey started off a little rocky, the day couldn’t have been better! We ended up having to get off the train at a stop early on the way into Venice because there was a bomb threat on the Venice train station. Despite having no clue where we were, or how we would end up getting to Venice, we all stayed calm and ended up hopping on a bus that brought us to our destination. The weather was amazing and we roamed around all day enjoying the beautiful city. I am beyond exhausted after this super busy weekend but am so thankful I was able to experience so many awesome places with such great people!!

Class this week was very entertaining and gave a nice taste of what the next few weeks will look like. I really enjoyed the activity where we had to read a sentence summary of a specific case and discuss the pros and cons without any further information. It was cool to discuss the potential missing information and try to fill in the gaps with my group mates. Having 2 students come up to explain their Wall Street Journal entry is also something I have enjoyed and look forward to. It is a great exercise to automatically learn more on current topics and have the opportunity to discuss with classmates. Class with Amanda Swain was fun and I liked hearing about everyone’s internship experiences and their opinions on the cultural differences they have picked up on thus far in Milan. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed my days at the Gen-USA office! Every morning, I have breakfast with Jimmy and Sam (my fellow Lehigh interns), and then we embark on our lovely 15 minute walk to the office. We are joined with 3 other IES interns from different schools. Working with many interns has definitely broadened my horizons and exposed me to different approaches to problem-solving. Specifically this week, my assignment was to conduct a research project on the Inflation Reduction Act. The opportunity to take a deep dive into the intricacies of economic policy and its real-world implications was very intellectually stimulating and I enjoyed presenting my information to my mentor at the company. 

We got very lucky to receive tickets to visit the famous Last Supper painting. The painting was beautiful and I am very thankful I got to see it because the large crowds in the area and waiting room make it clear what a popular site it is. Having easy access to trains from Milan has made travel rather simple. Easy travel by train has allowed us to effortlessly hop between countries, immerse in diverse cultures, and create unforgettable memories. Traveling to Verona was wonderful, and the wine tasting was such an awesome experience. I liked walking around the town and appreciating its quaint history. Singing in the arena was really fun and brought a smile to not only our faces, but many onlookers also visiting the arena. 

This week in class we discussed that while Adam Smith’s ideas continue to shape our understanding of economics, he would likely express disappointment with certain aspects of the modern economic system. Smith placed importance on the ethical dimension of economic behavior. He believed that self-interest should be balanced by moral considerations and emphasized the role of empathy and social responsibility. With countless corporate scandals, growing income inequality, and environmental degradation, Smith would likely be disappointed by the pursuit of short-term gains at the expense of long-term sustainability and societal well-being. I believe that Smith would urge society to strive for a more balanced approach that aligns self-interest with the broader interests of society and upholds the principles of fair competition, ethical behavior, and informed decision-making – and that he would be a huge fan of our corporate responsibility course!

 

My first day in the office was this Thursday and it was a very interesting experience. It is evident that Italians are more easy going with their work schedules and appear to be less uptight than we are in America. Our boss told us that we should arrive around 9:30 AM, but that this was not necessarily a strict start time and that there could be days he isn’t even in the office at that time himself – because he will be playing tennis. Because he enjoys playing tennis, our boss also invited us to play with him in the mornings before work. I am excited to play tennis in Milan, but after reflecting on the experience I realized that on the first day of a new job in America one’s boss does not usually give them a loose start time and also offer to play a sport together outside of the office. Despite not receiving any specific assignments on my first day, I am very excited to actually begin my internship at Gen-USA.

 

The first thing that I have thoroughly enjoyed is the food in Milan. Of course we know that Italy is known for its pizza, pasta, and cappuccinos, but I have been pleasantly surprised by all the outside cuisine the city offers. On our first full day here, a few classmates and I went to a restaurant near the IES orientation center. At this restaurant I decided to order a burger – classic American style – and was very impressed with the meal. Additionally, I have had a couple asian meals and they have all been 10/10. It is clear that like most cities in America, Milan is indeed a melting pot of many different people and cultures. I have additionally enjoyed seeing the fashion of all the local people. Although it is commonly proclaimed how fashionable Europeans are, it has been different for me to experience this fashion in person and at an older age than when I have previously traveled in Europe. I am excited to find clothing markets and try and step out of my fashion comfort zone throughout our 6 weeks here.