This was our first week of real classes with Professor Gupta. We started each class with a discussion of a student’s Wall Street Journal post from the previous week, which was chosen by Professor Gupta. On Wednesday, the class discussed the article I posted for the first week, which was about Planet Fitness’ recent controversy surrounding locker room policy. In our discussion, we debated how large companies like Planet Fitness should approach controversial topics, and whether a company should prioritize business or values when the two do not align. I thought this was a very interesting conversation and many people had very compelling points for both sides. We also watched two videos about Adam Smith and how his theories on economies and markets have shaped the world economy today. I thought these videos were very insightful into how markets should operate, and the true meaning of a “free market”. I see why Professor Gupta begins the first week of class with this topic, because I now feel like I have a better understanding of how markets operate, which will help me to have more well-rounded opinions on business topics for the rest of the upcoming classes.
In the internship seminar this week we read a story called “The Parable of the Sadhu”. The story described a corporate leader who got the chance to go on a once-in-a-lifetime hike through the Himalayas in Nepal. On this hike, the businessman and his companions came across a dying Sadhu who had been trying to hike back. Everyone in the group provided a little help to the man and then kept going to finish their hike. The story ends with the businessman and his companion debating the ethics of leaving the dying man, and what should have been done. This story opened up a conversation in the class about what was right and wrong, and how ethics are shaped. I think most of the class agreed that it was ethical to help the dying Sadhu. However, it was interesting to hear everybody’s different approach to the scenario, and see how differently a person classifies what is ethical versus what is not, especially in a business setting. It helped me to realize that everyone has different ethical values, and the solution to a problem is not always obvious.
It was my second full week of my internship, and I am really enjoying my time working with BoutiqueNB. This week was much easier to fall into a routine, and the commute does not feel as long anymore. My boss, Lucia, teaches me new information everyday, whether it is about the business as a whole, or how to approach different situations, or even little things to know about Italian culture. Lucia has been fun to work for because she has quickly entrusted me with lots of important tasks and creative control. I am very happy to have real and relevant tasks to do, because I feel like I have already learned so much about running a business and organization.
This weekend we fully immersed ourselves into Northern Italy culture by going on a trip to Lake Como and the Alps! We left Saturday morning and took a bus for about 2 hours to Lake Como. We walked around Varenna and got to see some beautiful botanical gardens before getting on a train to Bellano to get lunch by the water. After this, we took a boat to Bellagio, where we shopped around a bit. We then got back on the bus and drove up into the alps until the bus couldn’t go any further and we had to load into jeeps to get to Rifugio Tavecchia, where we were sleeping for the night. I don’t think anyone expected the accommodations to be so remote and woodsy, but the place ended up being so fun. The food was amazing and the people were so nice! This morning we got up and went for a hike up the mountain, which was gorgeous. Overall, the weekend was a very fun and unique experience. I think it was a very valuable experience to see how different parts of Italy live – going from Milan to Lake Como to the Alps was a big reminder of how diverse Italy is, and how not all Italians live the stereotypical Italian lifestyle.
