We finished our final presentations and paper in class this week as our Milan experience is sadly coming to an end. While it is hard to say goodbye, finally completing our research papers was extremely rewarding. My group’s paper was on employee activism, and how we think corporations should approach and respond to the topic. Over the course of our CSR class, we have discussed the topic of employee activism countless times, so my group was glad we had a solid background in the concert before formulating an opinion of our own. We each looked into different case studies, two regarding companies who handle employee activism poorly, and one we considered having a good relationship with employee activism. Demonstrating examples of both sides I think gave the class a better understanding of my group’s perspective. 

In our internship seminar class, we also gave our final presentation. This time my group conducted research on the “Made in Italy” label and the cultural implications that come with it. I specifically did research on Italian nationalism in their fashion, a topic very interesting to me since we have now lived in one of the fashion capitals of the world for the last 8 weeks. I was surprised to learn about the fierce competition between Italy and France, and how the two countries have battled it out to become Europe’s “trendsetter” for fashion since the 17th century. I may be biased now, but personally I feel Italian dress better than the French!

My experience at Exa Futures was so welcoming and extremely rewarding! I was lucky enough to really immerse myself into my internship in terms of building friendships and the work I completed. I was almost surprised how trusting my company was in terms of the responsibility I was given and the projects I worked on. As a final goodbye, my co-workers and I went out for a final lunch together to a restaurant right by our office, where they surprised me with a mini moka pot as a gift! One of Exa Future’s clients is a major coffee company, Lavazza, so they also brought some of their coffee grounds to take back to the US.

For my final weekend, I actually stayed in Milan as I wanted to make sure I did not leave parts of the city unexplored. The first thing we did Saturday morning was go to the vintage markets alongside the canals. I actually have not been in Milan long enough on Saturday to ever go to these markets yet, so I was super excited to finally see them. We also went to this spa in Milan called QC Terme, which is famous for their “rain room”. There are a bunch of different saunas and water therapy experiences, but the “rain room” plays cinematic footage of thunderstorms while pouring water from the ceiling. It was a relaxing way to spend my last weekend in Italy after traveling so much.

This week in class we discussed the Apple case study we prepared before class. Apple’s scandal with unfair labor practices lead us to an interesting conversation about companies moral duties, completely un-influenced by financial gain. While people knew about Apple’s scandal and called for change, their stock prices showed almost no change, and in fact have only continued to grow over the last decade. So if there is no financial obligation to reform their supply chain, as well as no governmental regulations from overseas countries, why should Apple change their practices as a company. In our other examples we have used in class to urge CSR, I have somewhat leaned on the argument that CSR inclusion can actually benefit a company’s financial prospects, and prevent loss from a future scandal. However, in Apple’s case, nothing happened when they were caught, so labor reform has to come from within; Apple has to feel a moral obligation. It is difficult to conceptualize an inhuman entity that has moral obligations, but since people are at the forefront of Apple’s decisions, I think it still applies. 

During our internship seminar, we revamped our resume to include our internships in Milan. My boss graduated with an Industrial Engineering degree from Purdue and has worked in the industry in various forms. Because of this, I actually already asked him for some advice about how to word my experience in Milan depending on the avenue of ISE I want to go down. This included wording teh bullet points on my resume, which was extremely helpful since I already am applying to positions for next summer. We had a class check in about how our internships have gone and what we hope to do with our last couple days. This was a helpful reflection and allowed an introspective look on what I have accomplished so far.

I wrapped up two big projects this week I have been doing in conjunction for the last three or so weeks, which was a big relief. The main project was the collection and visualization of Google Analytics data that was about to be deleted on July 1st. I was able to save all of our clients data and the dashboards I created to function in a similar manner to the original application were finished. My boss spent some time Tuesday giving final checks over the dashboards before actually sending them out to Exa Futures clients. I have mainly been doing internal work for the company, so this felt like a big step in gaining my work’s trust!

Over the weekend I traveled to Florence, which is a city I have actually been to with my family years back. It was super cool seeing different aspects of Florence now that I am older or connecting famous landmarks with bits of history I know better now. The Tour de France actually started in Florence this year, which was so cool to watch in person! The event hasn’t started in Italy for over 120 years, so crowds lined the Piazzale Michelangelo to get the best look at the bikers. The city is just so beautiful, so we spent both days walking around all the different streets and parks, which was a great way to happen upon some stores I would have never thought to go to.

Our discussion this week centered around stakeholder capitalism and if corporations really have an obligation to people outside of their shareholders. We watch a debate between two highly knowledgeable;e economists who argued over the legitimacy of stakeholder capitalism. Before this debate, I thought I was going to be on the side of fully believing in stakeholder capitalism, yet the economist against the concept brought up points I had never considered before. Specifically, he talked about how government intervention is not a part of stakeholder capitalism, and I believe that intervention is necessary to make corporations act ethically in a timely manner. Many of our social issues, like climate change, cannot be solved through slow mindset changes, which is what stakeholder capitalism entails. 

Instead of our internship seminar, we had a networking event in substitution for class. Unfortunately, my boss was traveling on Thursday, so he was unable to make it to the event. However, I was introduced to all of my friend’s bosses and was able to connect with people that way! Allie, her two bosses and I were able to chat for a while since we ate dinner as a group. This experience was super fun because it allowed me to talk to some Italians who have lived in the Milan area for years. We even got some restaurant recommendations for Florence because we are traveling there this weekend. The hotel the event was at was also gorgeous! 

My work this week was extremely busy since the project I am currently working on involves backing up data that will be lost on July 1st. Universal Analytics, an older version of Google Analytics, is shutting down at the end of June and all the data track from the client’s website will be lost. I have been working on code that automatically transfers this data to a looker studio dashboard to visualize the data. Unfortunately, I did not get approved access to a bunch of the data from clients until today, meaning I spent pretty much the entire day making sure my code was running smoothly and redoing certain blocks. All of my coworkers are slammed with work too; this is the first time I have ever seen Italians work through lunch!

Last weekend some friends and I flew to Ibiza, which was super exciting. We got to see this famous dj, Calvin Harris, perform live! However, my favorite part was this car boot market we went to in the middle of the island on saturday. Every week, hundreds of local vendors drive to the same location and sell vintage or home made clothing and jewelry from their trunks. I have been looking for a watch while abroad and I finally found a silver one I really love. I even got to haggle the price down a bit, which made the purchase more worth it. The ocean was so clear too! We visited one beach on the opposite side of the island and the sandbar went out for a long time.

This week in class we looked into the debate between companies’ responsibility to their shareholders vs stakeholders. After finishing the documentary “The Corporation”, I had a strong bias towards CSR inclusion in a company’s mission. The documentary goes into depth about the corruption encouraged by the heads of companies in order to turn a higher profit. However, the reading we prepared for the Wednesday class discussed both sides of the coin more, especially a company’s legal duty to its shareholders. I think there are strong arguments for companies prioritizing shareholder interest, it creates a foundation for public companies, allowing individual participation in capitalism. However, I think the rhetoric of shareholder priority written into law is a weak justification. Our legal system has been wrong in the past, why can’t we change corporate structures to include CSR. 

In class we discussed communications styles from different cultures; I took specific interest with high context versus low context communication. Americans usually talk in low context, meaning they are direct with their wording and do not try to have subcontext be a carrier of content. I realized I include a mix of high and low context communication depending on the context of my conservations. I find American low context style refreshing when goals need to be completed. When there is a set timeline, let’s not waste precious minutes deciphering what my co-converser is saying. However, my dad raised me to be more colorful with my language, using conversations as a stage of sorts. Some emotions can only be conveyed with gestures and tone, so when just having a regular conversation, I find myself participating in higher context talk. 

My company just hired a new employee this week, so it was fun meeting a new member of the team, and seemingly “knowing the ropes” of Exa Futures. I was able to participate in the welcoming of someone like how my other co-workers did my first week. Another round of constant coffee chats and shadowing, but I felt far more confident in my position after working here for a bit. This week I am working on multiple projects at once, so I have to find a way to balance my time. In the past, I was assigned a project a week, but more I am adding onto my past work at the same time as researching new topics. 

My friends and I went to Nice this weekend where they had the most beautiful blue waters I have ever seen. Livi and I went on a hike from Nice to the town Villefranche Sur Mer, but along the way we stopped to go rock jumping into the water. It was an exhilarating, and much needed break on the hot day, until we realized the cove was inhabited by a bunch of jellyfish. Honestly, it was still worth it. The Ironman finished in Nice this weekend too, so on my last day before my bus, I was able to watch the runners cross the finish line. I by chance ran into one of my best friend’s college friend from UVA, who happens to be abroad in Leon, Spain, while at the finish line. Small world!

The documentary we watched in class, “The Corporation”, dove into the corruption and malpractices committed by these well known institutions. I had always heard, or skimmed the headlines of articles detailing corporations’ harmful activities, but I assumed those corporations would be shut down over continued abuse. It was surprising to see so many well known, fairly respected companies accumulating millions in losses from malpractice fines. Understanding the extent to which corporations are built on an infrastructure that promotes financial gain over anything else is the first step in advocating for change. Specific note was in the documentary to separate the corporation from its owners, and while I agree with some sentiment, reconstruction requires massive backing from these head directors. 

This class this week we discussed how the Italian contemporary dilemmas play a role in the workplace culture. Italy has a long history of governmental turnover and constant change; the only real constant in the country’s history is continued chaos. This has led to a now fierce untrust of higher up leaders, which caused a lot of Italian workers to over advocate for themselves in a sense. Some of these principles can be seen through workplace culture, like Italian employee first mindset versus the American phrase of “the customer is always right”. Unfortunately, this has also caused the Italian economy to slow down immensely, leaving a large economy incredibly vulnerable. 

After I completed my first project, my boss, Giuseppe, is now more comfortable having me take on assignments that deal with external clients! I was recently given access to our clients website data from Google Analytics, a platform that tracks website hits, conversion rates, referral links, etc. This year the tool was upgraded to a new version, GA4, but all of the old data does not convert to the new platform automatically. I have the task of finding a way to store this data so clients can still look back at it when reviewing performances. This upgrading process has been occurring for about a year now, so all the old data is deleted by the end of June, making the stakes of this project much, much higher than my previous. 

On Sunday, I woke up in Introbio in the hiker retreat from Saturday. The night rain had created a fresh dew over the mountain, making the air smell so clean, a refreshing difference from Milan’s city air. We got to explore the grounds near the cabin in the morning, which included a field of cows and a small cheese making company. Then we all went on a hike to both a church and a small village of old houses. The views were breathtaking, with small waterfalls coming down from the surrounding peaks. Inside the church was a connected bar that had the most delicious hot chocolate; it practically tasted like straight melted chocolate, so it was extremely rich, but warmed the hands!

This was the first week we had our Corporate Social Responsibility course during the scheduled time, which made me more reassured about the course structure going forward. In the first two classes we watch videos on Adam Smith and his background as both an economist and moral philosopher. Smith was a head proponent of the free market, which many developed countries have used as inspiration for their current economic system. In past economics class, I have always envisioned the free market as being a cut throat system where individuals have to completely fend for themselves due to the intense competition. It was interesting to hear how Smith’s moral philosophy of wide prosperity was actually integrated into his idea of the free market. 

Our main discussion in the Internship seminar surrounded the Parable of the Sadhu case study. In this study, a man Bowen McCoy grapples with his decision to leave a dying Sadhu on a mountain in order for his group to complete their goal of summiting a mountain. While this is an extreme version of a problem a corporation might face, meaning it is easier to draw the line between actions and direct consequences, it was compelling seeing how the case study could apply in outside dilemmas. In small groups we had to prepare for a debate surrounding the ethics of McCoy’s decision. Even though I knew my personal opinion would be to stay with the Sadhu and give up the objective of reaching the peak, I enjoyed having to look at it from a different perspective. 

This week I was given a more in depth, individual project that my company is actually planning on implementing in their organization system on site called click up. My project is to calculate the amount of hours each member works on weekly for specific clients. I then compare this number of hours actually worked to an estimated number organized when making the contract for a client. Using this comparison, I can help Exa Futures determine profitability and where there are possible clients they should negotiate with. I should be wrapping up this project early this week as I have created the base way to implement this comparison through velocity charts, and now am just working on making the implementation more general. 

On Thursday, our entire group went to a wine tasting class at a local restaurant in Milan. I have to admit, I have always been a bit skeptical about wine connoisseurs and how exact their methodology truly is. I think I was able to master the swirling technique, even though I also tried it on my sparkling wine, rendering the drink flat … oops! I also went to Lake Como on Saturday; I went hiking through a bunch of the neighboring towns near the lake as well as explored Bellano! I ended Saturday by sleeping at this hiking retreat center in Introbio, a town a bit away from Lake Como that was almost completely isolated. 

For class, I read the Goldman Sachs report and listened to the podcast about the report. The economists differing takes on globalization was extremely interesting as it is a subject I never really thought about before. I think having a corporate experience in Milan will also help to give me a better perspective on the importance of international economic relations. Rodrik’s hope for “newbalization” was a refreshing outlook on deglobalization. He mentioned topics like worker rights and environmental protection as the potential focuses for a new economic model. Recognizing past institutional greed in the world’s economy is a great first step towards “newbalization”. Hopefully our discussion in class will give me different outlooks on the topic.

Before class, we all took a cultural analysis self assessment after reading a bit about the spectrum of different behaviors and attitudes. One of the sectors that will be hardest for me to experience in Milan is the focus on collectivism vs individualism. I really like working in a group and collaborating with others as it may give me a new perspective or angel to take on a problem. However, when it is time to actually do work, I often need to be alone to truly zone in. Also I feel more comfortable tuning in a project or assignment knowing I did every part of it as people have varying standards of work they feel acceptable turning in.  

This week I gave a presentation in my internship about my background in coding, excel, and statistics. The presentation encompassed some of the classes I have taken, the research project I have been a part of, and how past work I have done can fit into Exa Futures roles. As the project I am working on for the remaining weeks has yet to be solidified, it was helpful for my co-workers to better see my capabilities and how I can integrate into the company. Our entire team went to lunch together after my presentation, which connected our team as friends too! I was even introduced to a new pasta dish I’ve never heard of before called tricolore.

The hike in the Swiss alps was so worth the first stains now plaguing my once pristine sneakers. I have been hiking in New England numerous times but nothing has compared to the breathtaking views I saw on Saturday. The trail near the peak was extremely slippery and covered in snow, but part of the group was still able to make it to Lake Arpy. While the water was far too cold swimming, for everyone but Charlie, it was still so beautiful to see the crystal cold water. Katie and I even made snow angels at the top to signify our summit. We ended the day with some much needed gelato.

Although we have yet to have the lecture pertaining to the corporate social responsibility course, the beginning assignments on the Wall Street Journal have given me some insight on what to expect for the course. When looking through an entry to comment on, a lot of the articles seemed to surround companies’ new found use of greener technology or sustainability in general. When thinking of sustainability, the protection of green spaces comes to mind as well. Comparing the cities in the US to Milan, it seems there is a greater emphasis on the protection and inclusion of the environment. Milan, even though it’s a highly densely populated city, still has so many clean, and well kept parks. I have to wonder if the companies in Milan are contributing to the seemingly cleaner environment by including sustainable practices, or if the Italian government puts strict regulation on the protection of their parks. 

Today we completed the first class of the Internship Seminar, where I found our class discussion about the difference between Italian and American work culture to be fascinating. My company, Exa Futures, has had American interns before, so my co-workers had a more set idea of how to integrate me into the company. Hearing about my peer’s first days in their internships was very interesting as I could compare and contrast my own experience. The emphasis placed on community seems to be a common theme found in Italian workplaces, which is a refreshing approach compared to the individualistic style of American companies. This idea goes hand in hand with the emphasis on coffee breaks, as we discussed in class and their importance in relationship building. 

The company I will be working for is called Exa Futures, a digital marketing agency focused on Big Data analytics. Here I hope it helps the team with process optimization, whether that be helping their tech analysts with some of their data organization and code, or their media team in producing reports for clients. The founder, Guiseppe, explained to me this week is all about integration and learning the roles of each team member so I can best assist Exa Futures as a whole. This more fluid role aligns with how the team at ExaF works; everyone is together in one room with a large shared desk in order to easily bounce ideas off each other and be in constant communication.

Saturday night, Lilly, livi and I were lucky enough to get last minute tickets to AC Milan’s last home game of the season. Soccer games are my all time favorite sport to watch, and the crowd at AC Milan was nothing like I have experienced in the past. Usually my eyes are glued to the field, but Milan’s sectors of the arena were so lively, it was practically a performance in itself. Although Milan was predicted to crush their opponent, Salernitana, it ended up being a close game in the last twenty five minutes, leading to a 3-3 tie. While this would have left a sour taste for Milan, it was one of their star players, Olivier Giroud, last game, so the match concluded with ceremony, leaving the crowd in high spirits after all.