This was our first week of Corporate Social Responsibility courses in Milan. I found the in class discussions extremely advantageous to my understanding of the course and its objectives. For example, when I researched which Wall Street Journal article to select I knew what attributes to explore. I feel as if I am improving in my work quality. Additionally, the homework assignment summaries force me to read the papers more closely because I have to absorb the information and articulate it in a way that makes sense to me. The articles dive into niche topics that relate to the business world, but they increased my understanding of corporate social responsibility as a whole. Globalization is a pressing topic as the world is becoming more and more connected with every passing day. Additionally, the article on market capitalism portrays the role that corporations play in maintaining structure of the economy. There are so many threats to market capitalism, and corporations are responsible to make protective changes. Some changes include increasing worker education, entrepreneurship, remodeling business models. I look forward to continuing in the course to learn more about the special topics within corporate social responsibility. 

This week’s internship seminar dove deeper into cultural analysis and one’s own personal cultural profile. The discussion allowed us to reflect on the various cultural profiles that we possess, where they originated from, and how they affect our interactions with the business world. Additionally, after having experienced the Italian work culture, my classmates shared some really insightful points on how it differs from American work culture. Most interestingly, the level of trust varies, stemming from personal connection in Italy and from achievement in the US (objectively). Furthermore, the Parable of Sadhu was a story set in the mountains, but the ethical dilemma could be applied to the workplace. Americans are so hyper focused on achievement that they are willing to sacrifice their relationships with and duties to others in order to mobilize upward in status. The debate was a unique opportunity to address both sides of the issue, and while public speaking and in class debates make me extremely nervous I am proud of my participation. 

My internship has taken the next step forward this week in terms of the project. Every Monday morning we have a meeting with our internship supervisor where we set small goals to complete for the upcoming week. It is also a great opportunity to ask questions that we have regarding our internship expectations. The CHIARA project has a google survey that asks questions about a variety of health dimensions. Researchers at SDSU have collected data from Americans and Mexicans near the California border. My goal this week is to look at the data and brainstorm different ways to analyze descriptive and quantitative data. Ultimately, I would like to find correlations between health status and health outcomes. Beyond the tangible work, on Thursday I attended a health data science course at Politecnico di Milano where students presented their final projects. Thus far, we have only experienced the Italian workplace, not the Italian education system. The students did a great job in their presentations and I was so impressed with their ability to communicate their indepth research in a non-native language (English). The presentation was on air pollution and it’s effects on the elderly population such as the rates of cardiovascular and neurological diseases. 

Italy is known globally for its wine culture and it became apparent very early on in this trip. IES hosted a wine tasting for the Lehigh students on Thursday. The restaurant is in one of my favorite neighborhoods in Milan, just half a mile from Aparto. In this course our instructor went through the basics of tasting and what to consider when choosing a wine. We learned how to decide the wines age, intensity, taste profile, and viscosity. I am not a wine girl but I found the class extremely interesting. Being respectful and following etiquette is important to me, especially in a foreign country, and knowing how to properly handle a wine tasting is a way to achieve this. Additionally, it was fun to put our new skills to use! At dinner this weekend Kiera got a glass of white wine and the waiter had her taste it. Our waiter was young so it was acceptable to laugh as we all talked through the motions of what to do. In time I think this skill will be very useful, for example at a business dinner.