As I have begun to work noted below, I have seen how social responsibility plays a big role in many companies. The company that I work for focusses on having a good social impact and helping the environment. With this real life experience in a non-profit organization, I see how intertwined social responsibility is with business. Also, as I have read the WSJ, I have seen some articles that I can relate to my experiences. I read an article about how there is a lot of hesitancy to buy electric vehicles, and I know that my family once had one. The people that are hesitant are those that don’t like the EV’s being shoved down their throats by political leaders they don’t like and car companies. This is something that I am excited to do a deep dive into: with the polarizing political climate we are in right now, does a leader pushing a policy that helps social issues actually increase support of the public?
During this class, I learned a lot about what other students are doing in their internships and how theirs are similar and how certain things that I am experiencing in my workplace are just part of the Italian work culture. Things that I found in common with other interns are often coffee breaks, language barriers and flexible schedules. I also learned about certain things that I need to be doing like going out and seeking out work as opposed to letting things be assigned to me. I also now know that I need to ask a lot of questions and work through instructions if they are vague even if it may feel like I am being annoying. It is better to clarify and know what to do than to try to figure something out on your own and do it incorrectly.
After successfully finding my way to work last Thursday, I began working on Monday. I met some of my co-workers like Chiara and Saviour, and my boss Erica. Everyone was very friendly and Erica showed me the ropes of what I will be doing in these next few weeks and an overview of the company. I learned that E4Impact is a non-profit organization that works with universities in Africa and scouts entrepreneurs in Africa in order to get companies started and reach more effective management in these small businesses. The work that I will be doing is data collection and scouting in order to track the companies once their leaders have been trained through our program. This is an exciting opportunity for me and I feel like I will really be making a difference and helping towards more successful companies in Africa.
This past Saturday, I was able to attend an AC Milan futbol game. Back home in America, I have been to many sporting events including NHL, NBA, MLB and NFL games just to name a few. Although these games were all fun and incredible in their own ways, the passion that I saw from the fans was not even close to that of which I saw at the legendary San Siro Stadium in Milan. The first half went by, and although Milan scored and I thought that the fans were pretty crazy, I didn’t know what was coming in the second half. At the half, Milan was up 2-0 and I saw the rowdy fans start setting up flags to go up for the second half. Once the whistle blew and it began, mayhem was unleashed. These fans lit up flares, causing the whole stadium to fill up with smoke, and they were waving flags, jumping and chanting to support their squad. Although the flares went out after about 10 minutes, the chanting and passion continued for the entire 45 minute second half, and I even felt the stadium shake at one point. This was a crazy experience for me as I am an avid sports fan, and to experience my first futbol game in Europe was a great time.
