(1) Professor Gupta’s academic course on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

This week in class, we discussed corporations and their evolutions and timelines. We also discussed what it means to “ethically source” a product. I found this to be very useful and interesting because we have been reading many articles on what it means for something to be ethical, but it is important to understand the true meaning behind what it means for something to be “ethical.” To me, when something is ethically sourced, it means the company has met the certain standards of being sustainable, following good labor and wage practices, and government regulations; however, this too can be subjective in some way. A key takeaway I took away was that “talk is cheap.” A 2022 study found that while 80% of people said they cared about sustainability, less than 7% actually paid extra for the product. This demonstrates that our actions speak much louder than words and that it is much easier said than done. It makes me wonder, how can we get people to act on their words?

(2) Professors Swain and Gupta’s Internship Seminar 

This week we debriefed our workplace encyclopedias. I have found that my experience is very different from my peers’ because I am working for an American company, despite being abroad. I really enjoy working for Hard Rock, but it is also interesting to see how my peers are adapting to more authentic Italian companies. We also learned how we can adjust ourselves in different cultures and the discomfort that comes with this adjustment. We looked at our identities and belonging in the cultural aspect. This then led to a discussion about Italian politics. This was interesting to learn about considering there was a recent election. One question that was asked was “How many Italian flags have you seen today?” It was surprising to learn that schools or post offices won’t have flags but they tend to only appear when a sports team wins etc. In general we see less Italian flags because there is a larger resistance to Italian nationality, but the average Italian is very nationally proud when it comes to soccer and food. Overall, we learned about the history and culturally significant things about Italy. 

(3) a Practicum in Milan with an Italian Company

This week I continued to work on the database as well as the social media and marketing content. One thing I continue to learn about my boss is that she tends to give instructions after I have completed tasks. This is still something I must adjust to and is teaching me how to become more adaptable and flexible. I was able to work Thursday by being virtual, and all I had to do was ask. At first, I was nervous to ask my boss and was not sure how she would respond, but she responded with no hesitation and even advised me to take Monday off since my mom was visiting. This was very comforting to know that communicating and simply asking goes a long way. Something I have noticed is that my work space seems to be very different from my peers’ experience. I often work alone and have not seen any of my few co-workers eat lunch. It makes me wonder if it is because I work for an “American company” or if they eat lunch later/after I leave. 

(4) Social and Cultural immersion through travels in Italy and Europe

This past week we visited Lake Como and Rifugio Tavecchia. The weather has not followed a typical Italian summer weather, and has consisted of clouds and rain since being here; however, we lucked out when the weather was anticipated to be rainy but held out. Lake Como was beautiful and we enjoyed walking around gardens, taking the ferry, shopping, and finding places to eat. Our night at Rifugio was an experience I had never done before. We had a family style dinner and enjoyed a multitude of food that ranged from pasta, polenta, pork, chicken, carrots and peas, and more. The next morning, our breakfast was small, and was just an espresso and a few biscuits. It still comes as a shock to me at how little Italians eat for breakfast and I am definitely still adjusting to that aspect. We then spent the day exploring and hiking around Rifugio Tavecchia and watched the dogs herd the cows, ate lunch by the church, and played hard in the dining room. It was really nice to experience the weekend away from city life and get outside with nature and farm animals.