This week, I read about companies and their ability to meet sustainability reporting requirements. While we have not had our internship class yet, I think this strongly correlates to corporate responsibility in the sustainability aspect. Companies are struggling with their given resources and technology and are trying to find the happy medium between investing and spending on developing new technologies and investing on growing their companies in general. I think this puts them in an ethical dilemma and relates to corporate ethics because it takes time, money, and resources to obtain and develop these new technologies and might not produce immediate results; however, in the long run, companies will be able to correctly report their sustainability reports. I think it really depends on the company and how ethical and genuine they truly want to be. It is interesting how many companies are facing regulations and are almost being forced to be “ethical.” Overall, I think this is beneficial because I don’t think many companies would take the time and money to report their sustainability impacts, let alone reduce it. Something I have noticed when comparing responsibility is that Europe seems to care more than the US. When looking at other companies’ mission statements and websites, more EU companies have an impact/sustainability page whereas I feel more and more US documentaries are coming out and exposing companies in the US for their ethical and environmental issues. 

In our internship seminar class, we had the opportunity to learn more about ourselves and our personal cultural identity. Through our in class discussions and readings, I was able to discover which dimensions contribute to the individual that I am today and I hope to apply these findings and discoveries to my current internship and future career. The dimensions that stood out to me most were organization, collaboration, and emotion. I found this assignment to have a lot of overlap with an introductory business course in business communications where we identified our “Big 5” and analyzed where to play our strengths and weaknesses. I learned a lot about why I do what I do, why I think the way I think, etc. By identifying how my past and culture have made me who I am today, I can better understand how to apply it to the new cultures that I am experiencing and witnessing. 

I feel that I am starting to get the hang of commuting and working for Hard Rock Cafe. Most of my work consists of working on a database where I organize, gather, and contact neighboring companies that will partner and promote Hard Rock Milano. I have found that I enjoy walking to and from work more than taking the tram (if I have time). On my walk home, I’ll often find myself discovering a new coffee or gelato place! During one of my work days, I was given the task to walk around and take pictures and gather data of nearby rental companies. While I was working on this, I had the opportunity to explore the Duomo area— which I thoroughly enjoyed. Next week, my boss informed me that I would start to look at the marketing side of things and start creating content, so I am excited to work on something new! 

This week was full of travel with a hike in the Alps on Saturday and a beach trip to Saint Margherita Ligure- Portofino. I really enjoyed getting out of the city and exploring the breathtaking views. I have never been on such a rigorous and climate changing hike, but I really enjoyed and surprised myself. I found the hike to be worth it when we made it to the lake at the end. I also think the group really bonded as a whole on this trip. I was also eager to make it to the water on Sunday, as it was another nice change of scenery from the city life. We spent the day relaxing on the beach, shopping, and exploring. We finished off with a delicious seafood dinner by the water!