This week in Professor Gupta’s class, we heavily discussed the concept of stakeholder capitalism. This idea basically combines all the topics we have discussed thus far. Stakeholder capitalism is a new business idea and trend that calls for companies to do more than just prioritize profit – it requires them to maximize profit for all stakeholders in the business, including customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, and more. We discussed if this concept of business was sensible or even feasible, and many people had great arguments for both sides. On top of in-class debates, we also watched a video of a debate between two renowned economic professors who specialize in this topic. It was very intriguing to hear both sides, and ultimately I left the class even more conflicted than before. While I instinctually lean towards principles that prioritize business profit, stakeholder capitalism has compelling ideas that bring up solid arguments. I’m interested to continue this discussion next week.

 

After a twelve day stint of virtual working, I was expected to return to in-person work this week. My boss returned from her business trip in Valencia, where she was speaking on behalf of Airbnb as a community leader. She was very excited about how successful the presentation and forum had gone, and it was really great to hear about her experience leading her professional community into a positive direction. It was fun for my work team to be back together again – not only are we more productive together, but it is much more fun to spend the day chatting and bouncing ideas off of each other in person. We ended this week by having a midday aperitivo to celebrate Lucia’s brand new car, and brand new airbnb listing! Lucia also took us on a field trip to visit one of the apartments that we manage, which was so fun to see.

 

All week I have been going through Croatia-withdraw, after I spent four days last weekend in Rijeka to visit one of my best friends from school. Although it was a long journey to get there (almost seven hours of travel in total), it was totally worth it. With my friends, I spent two nights in Rijeka, which is the largest port city in Croatia, and one night in Krk, which is well-known for being a vacation destination for Croatians. Overall, it was an amazing experience – the seafood was delicious, the scenery was beautiful, and the people were so friendly. It was also sooo much cheaper than Italy, which was a pleasant surprise. However, the hot weather definitely gave me a newfound appreciation for the unusually temperate weather that we have been experiencing in Milan this summer.