For Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course, we ended by having our group presentations and crafting our research paper on our CSR topic. My group’s topic was “social media and its negative impact.” I am very glad I got this topic because it is extremely relevant to my life. Not only am I a user of social media, but almost all of my friends and family members are as well. I always knew that there were a lot of negative impacts of social media; however, by doing this research paper, I was able to develop a completely deeper understanding of the significance of the impact social media can have on users. I now have a different view of social media as I am more aware and conscious of the harm it can have on others. Fortunately for me, I am not on social media enough to experience the negative impacts to a large extent. I think I realized that social media was hurting my mental health at quite a young age, and I therefore decided to not engage fully in it. I am extremely glad that I was able to have that self control, but I realize this is more difficult for others who get addicted to the apps. I also enjoyed listening to other groups’ presentations and I was able to gain something from each presentation. On Monday, I specifically enjoyed the presentation on cancel culture because I find that topic quite interesting. On Wednesday, I enjoyed the presentation on the gender pay gap.  

For Professor Swain and Gupta’s Internship Seminar Course, we started by going through an interview preparation session led by Professor Gupta. This was very helpful because unlike some of my other classmates, I have not had many interviews. Additionally, the majority of the interviews that I have had were very casual and not for “real” jobs. What surprised me was that the question of “tell me about yourself” was the one that Professor Gupta saw the most students struggle with. It seems like such an easy, straightforward question, but I understood how challenging this question can be once I tried to answer it. Moving on, I will continue to think about this question and come up with the best answer I can. Then, we presented our group projects. My group focused on waste management in Italy and how successful these waste management efforts have been for the environment. After researching and presenting, it is clear that Italy has significantly better efforts when it comes to waste management than the US does. 

In my internship this week, it was unfortunate that my boss was out of town. I wish I could have seen her and gone in person for the last week, but instead, I worked from home. I continued to write articles for the Suitefood website about the benefits of their main product, Coccola. Some of these benefits include natural hydration, antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and proteins. I then went more into detail for each of these properties. Emmanuela’s hope is that customers will read these articles on the website and therefore want to buy products. Additionally, I created a video where I stated my name, where I am from, and why I love Coccola so much. This video will also go on the website as a “customer review” of sorts. Then, I had my friends try Coccola so that they could also create a review video. Emmanuela is trying to market in the US, so she wanted to have videos of Americans who have tried her product on the website.   

This weekend, I headed to Split, Croatia. I had never been to Croatia before, so this was a very exciting trip for me. I really enjoyed the city of Split because it is right on the water, there are many things to do, and the city is small enough that it is very easy to walk around. We took a bright and early plane out of Milan at 6am Friday morning. Upon arriving in Split, we walked around the city and got breakfast. After eating, we walked to a beach club where we spent most of the day. The walk to the beach club was 30 minutes, right along the shore. It was extremely beautiful because the water in Split is bright blue. At the beach, I spent my time either swimming in the water or sleeping on the chair. It was the perfect, relaxing day I needed after all my work from the two projects. Then, we went to dinner and had ourselves a night. On Saturday, I woke up late due to the festivities that went on the night before. We got a quick bite to eat before heading out on our 6-hour booze cruise. The cruise was a perfect way to see the beauty of the Adriatic Sea. The boat took two stops for us to swim. My favorite part was jumping off the top of the boat, about 15 feet above the water. The long boat tour really tired me out, so I did not partake in any partying on Saturday night. We woke up for yet another early flight back to Milan on Sunday, so I spent my Sunday catching up on sleep and finishing my projects. Since I love Italy so much and cannot leave, I will spend next weekend in Venice, but I probably won’t write a blog post about it. I am forever grateful for this amazing experience due to the places I have been, lessons I have learned, and friends I have made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course this week, we started by reading an interesting case study regarding Apple’s supply chain issues with suppliers Foxconn and Pegatron. Apple was accused of allowing labor rights violations at both of these suppliers factories. The working conditions for the employees in these factories were awful, and I hated reading about what these employees were put through. We followed up with a very interesting debate over whether Apple should be held responsible for these violations and conditions. Although Apple does not have any legal rights over these workers, and it is the Chinese government that is allowing this to happen, Apple does have the resources and reputation to make a change. However, there are many other companies that also need to be held responsible and push for change in order for it to happen. It should not be just up to Apple. In addition to the case study, we watched two very well-produced movies “Erin Brockovich” and “A Civil Action.” I love both Julia Roberts and John Travolta, so I enjoyed watching these movies very much. I have to say that I liked “Erin Brockovich” more because I found it more empowering, and there was a happy ending. These movies made me realize how difficult it is to sue large corporations, especially when you are a small, private law firm. I now wonder how many large corporations have gotten away with polluting communities, just because they are more able to win lawsuits.  

For Professor Swain and Gupta’s Internship Seminar this week, we had a homework assignment where we read about motivation. I was able to reflect on what motivated me in the workplace specifically. This is an important thing for me to know about myself as I will soon be entering the workforce. The reading and this internship experience as a whole has made me realize that I am motivated to do well for a boss that respects me and wants me to succeed. I hope to look for a boss in the future that is like my boss here, because she has a lot of respect for me which has pushed me to want to do well for her in return. After discussing motivation in class, we had a resume building workshop which was much needed for me. I was not completely sure how to write down my SuiteFood internship on my resume, but I will continue to work on that in the future. My hope is that this internship will set me up well for future interviews and jobs.  

In my internship this week, I continued to do research and write articles about the health benefits and implications of the SuiteFood product, Coccola. I was able to write these articles and see them get published to the website right away. I was happy to know that my boss liked and trusted my writing enough to publish them immediately. A new website was created this week, and I am very happy with the result, as it looks a lot better than the old website which needed to be updated. Abi and I helped design this website which was more difficult than I expected, but I am glad our work paid off. Finally, I created a video where I shared my thoughts about Coccola and how much I enjoyed it. I started by stating my name, where I am from, and how much I like Coccola. My boss, Emmanuela, was very excited about this idea as she wants to try and market to the US. She made it very clear that I needed to share where I was from. If she likes the video enough, it should be up on the website soon. 

This weekend, I took day trips to Lake Como, Bologna and Florence. On Friday morning, we took a 40 minute train to Lake Como. The train was packed, and we did not get on fast enough which led to us standing in the middle of the train. The train system in Europe is not the best, and it is my least favorite part of traveling. It was the day after the US presidential debate, and something I noticed was multiple people on the train reading about it. It was interesting to see so many people reading about it even though we are in Italy, and I think many were Italians. We started our day in Lake Como by walking around the town. It was beautiful and not too busy which made it even nicer. Unfortunately, there was lots of construction near the lake which took away from the beauty. We sat down for breakfast and waited for more friends to arrive before heading off on our boat tour. We took a 2 hour boat trip where we saw important buildings, landmarks, took a swim, and had some wine. The boat was very relaxing, and it was a great way to see the beauty of Lake Como. We saw Versace’s old house as well as George Clooney’s villa. Both were incredible. We got dinner at a great restaurant outside of the town and then headed back. It was a quick trip, but I think it was the perfect amount of time to be in Lake Como. On Saturday, we went to Bologna on the way to Florence. There was not a reason to go to Bologna other than the fact that tortellini is my favorite food, and Bologna is where it was invented, so I needed to try it. We walked around the city for a little bit, then got lunch at a highly recommended restaurant. Of course, I got tortellini, and it was amazing – by far my favorite meal in Italy so far. We stopped in a beautiful church, but other than that, Bologna was not one of the prettier cities I have been to. We also went to the public library and saw ancient ruins on the bottom floor which was very cool. Then, we traveled to Florence for the gold markets and dinner. The markets had very pretty items, but all too expensive for me. It was extremely hot in Florence which made it difficult to walk around for too long. We stopped for apritivo at a rooftop bar before our wonderful dinner at Acqua Al 2. The blueberry steak is to die for. I am looking forward to going to Split, Croatia next weekend as I have never been to Croatia before. I am missing the land of the free and home of the brave on this wonderful holiday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course, we had very interesting conversations this week. On Monday, we talked about two WSJ articles; one about DEI efforts in corporations and the other about weight loss drugs. I was not aware that corporations were looking to decrease their DEI efforts, and I was surprised to hear this as I do not agree with it. Ozempic and other weight loss drugs are gaining a lot of popularity recently; however, I am very skeptical of these drugs as they have already shown many negative health effects. My WSJ entry this week talked about the negative health effects of alcohol and how to best regulate them. There is not a clear line as to who can create limits on alcohol and whether there is enough research to rationalize these limits. To end class on Monday, we watched a video debate on whether stakeholder capitalism is illusory or real. I was unaware that this was such a heated debate, and it is very interesting to hear the strong points from either side. In class on Wednesday, my group was chosen to participate in this exact debate. My group argued that it was real which, at first, I thought would be an easy side to debate. However, the other group did a great job that made it challenging to argue. Personally, I think it is very difficult to tell whether stakeholder capitalism is real or illusory. While I do think it should be implemented and can create change, I do think that companies’ real motive is to create profit and they will only engage in this if it helps their company. I will continue to pay attention to this in the real world to strengthen my viewpoint for one side or the other. I think once I enter the workforce, I will get a better understanding of companies’ motives. 

For my internship this week, Abi and I worked on the SuiteFood website. We started by re-designing the landing page because it was quite outdated. We looked up competitors’ websites to implement what we liked from them and excluded or improved what we did not. Although this is definitely not my strong suit, it was interesting to do something that I had never done before. Part of the SuiteFood website includes a page that has links to articles about the health benefits, history, culture, etc. of coconuts. After we completed the landing page design, I wrote more articles that can be used on the website. I now have more knowledge about coconuts than I ever thought I would. They are great for your health! I started uploading my articles to the website and will continue to upload tomorrow and the beginning of next week. Emmanuela had us use Shopify to post articles to the website. I had never used Shopify before, and found that it is quite an amazing platform for startups especially. 

This weekend, I took my first trip outside of Italy and went to Nice, France. Although I had been to Paris before, I had never been anywhere else in France, so I liked being able to compare the two cities which are very different. I thought that the language barrier was worse in Nice than Milan. In Milan, you can go into almost any restaurant and the server will understand English or will get another employee that does. However, in Nice, there was less English spoken and more employees just spoke French. After we arrived on Friday, we started by walking around the city. It was bigger than I had expected, and there were a countless number of restaurants, cafes, bars, and shops that lined every street. We got drinks at a bar right on the water which was very pretty and had a nice breeze. Then, we got dinner at a restaurant my brother recommended which had a variety of meat and fish entrees. I enjoyed having a meal where nobody ordered pasta or pizza. I needed a break from Italian cuisine. After dinner, we went to a bar and sat outside. There was a live band playing in the street with a mass of people listening, dancing, and walking around. I had no clue how lively this city was, and it was very fun to witness all the people having a good time. Something that did surprise me about the city was there were less churches than I would have expected. In many of these European cities, it feels as though you turn a corner and there is another church. Maybe I have become blind to them, but this did not seem to be the case in Nice. On Saturday, we enjoyed a relaxing day on the beach. It was a perfect way to recover from the night before. I did not put on enough sunscreen. Whoops. I am experiencing the effects of my actions now. On Monday, I went to the bar across the street from Aparto to watch Italy face Croatia in the Euros. Italy scored with 30 seconds left of extra time to pull off a tie, which was needed to advance to the next round. The bar was electric. It was very fun to see the passion from the Italy fans who went crazy when the game ended. This weekend, I am going to Lake Como and Bologna with hopes to leave time for more exploration of wonderful Milan. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility Class, this week we finished the second part of the film “The Corporation.” This film warned me about how dangerous corporations can be to society due to their enormous power. It made me look at corporations in a different light, however I do realize that there was a bias against them in the film. For class on Wednesday, we read numerous readings that had different perspectives on what corporations’ roles were. While many of the readings did not think that corporations have a responsibility to create social welfare, articles did not agree upon whether corporations should maximize profits, stakeholder wealth or shareholder wealth. Something I found very interesting was Diane Denis’s take that when corporations maximize shareholder value, they also maximize stockholder value, and it is not one way or another. In class on Wednesday, we watched films that continued to explore topics in the readings regarding capitalism and shareholder primacy. We also had an interesting debate on whether corporations’ only goal is to maximize profits or also to create social welfare. While I do think corporations have a social responsibility, it was interesting to hear takes from the other side. Finally, I enjoyed my WSJ entry for this week, because it covered the topic that I will be exploring in my final project. I covered how the US Surgeon General has called to implement warning labels on social media apps. The issue of free speech is an ethical dilemma, and there is an argument of who should be able to implement warning labels; policymakers or the apps themselves.  

For Professor Swain and Gupta’s Internship Seminar Class, we talked about cultural stereotypes and how we respond to those stereotypes. It was interesting to talk about the stereotypes that my classmates thought that Italians had of Americans. Some included us always eating fast food, abusing alcohol, and not dressing for the weather. In order to find out how we respond to stereotypes, we took a self-assessment test called “How Ethnocentric Am I?” This assessment asked about our attitudes and skills when it came to interacting with other cultures. After doing this, we ranked ourselves on the Development of Intercultural Sensitivity label. This was a range of ethnocentric stages to ethnorelative stages. I ranked myself closer to the middle, hoping that by the end of the trip I will be closer to the ethnorelative side because I will have a greater acceptance of Italian culture. 

For my internship this week, I continued to work with my coworkers on the SuiteFood packaging. Although I did not think that I would be doing this in my internship, I enjoyed doing this because I was able to learn more about package design by having hands-on experience. We worked to create a package that explained the benefits of Coccola while capturing the customers eye. The Italian workers enjoyed having Abi and I to help, because they were not sure which words would capture the eye of an American consumer rather than an Italian. It was interesting to think about how the trends are different in the two countries and how different words mean different things. For example, I wanted to use the word “antioxidant” on the package, but my Italian coworkers had no clue what this word meant. The package design should hopefully be completed by next week. In addition to working on the package design, I also worked on improving the website which was in need of major improvements. I used many of the same packaging design skills to create a website that was appealing to the eye while also clearly stating the many benefits of Suitefood. 

This weekend, I went to Cinque Terre to explore the Italian beach towns. Cinque Terre is made up of five towns. We stayed in La Spezia but traveled to two main towns, Monterosso and Riomaggiore. After arriving Friday afternoon, we stayed in La Spezia Friday and got dinner in town. The town of La Spezia was the biggest and had the most locals living there. At night, there were two main bars that people went to after dinner. It was very lively; however, getting home at night was very difficult. On Saturday morning, our Airbnb host made us breakfast and we ate in her garden. It was very cute, but I do not enjoy having cookies and coffee for breakfast. I have learned that you cannot pass when an Italian offers you food or drinks, so I forced it down anyway. After breakfast, we took the train to Monterosso. This town was known for their beaches. It was very small, but beaches lined the whole coast, and by the middle of the day, they were filled with people. It was very nice to have quite a relaxing day at the beach. The water was very cold but refreshing. After the beach, we walked around the quaint town. There are buildings hidden in the side of the mountains that overlook the water. We ate dinner at a cute, small restaurant which had great pasta and pesto. After dinner, Italy played Albania in the Euros. We went to a bar that was packed with Italians screaming at the TV. It was an electric atmosphere and fun to see how important soccer is to the Italians. On Sunday, we went to Riomaggiore. This town was even smaller than Monterosso, but I thought it was gorgeous. There were no beaches, but many boats were going in and out of the town. We took scenic walks around in the mountains and got lunch before heading back to Milan. This weekend I will have another beach vacation in Nice, France. I am excited to compare the two cities and take my first trip outside of Italy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course this week, we learned about corporate governance and the different types of corporate governance that companies follow. I was able to better understand the relationship between management and shareholders and how the board of directors plays a role in organizing corporations. For homework, I compared the corporate governance of Intel and its competitor Samsung by comparing their certificate of incorporations, bylaws, and DEF14As. I concluded that Samsung has better corporate governance because they give more power to the board of directors and require the board to meet more often. My Wall Street Journal article for this week, “Anti-Woke Shareholders Are Going After Corporate Boards”, covered the conflict of interest between shareholders and management, which we also read about in the two readings for class this week; “The Corporation” by Joel Bakan and “A Primer on Corporate Governance” by Margaret M. Blair. Previously, I had never thought about a corporation as a “person”, but Bakan’s book and class discussions introduced me to the personhood of a corporation and the human rights that are also granted to corporations. This was also covered in the film we watched on Wednesday which covered the dangers of a corporation to society. 

In Professor Swain and Gupta’s Internship Seminar course, we developed a deeper understanding of the Italian economy and what factors are playing a role in the country’s financial performance. Abi and I did a workplace encyclopedia on our company, SuiteFood, and its position in the food and beverage industry. Currently, the food and beverage industry is growing in Italy which puts our company in a good position. We also learned about how Italy is not taking enough advantage of the taxi system. Although the demand for taxis is very high, there are not enough drivers and cars to support the high demand. Another factor hurting their economy is the fact that only 55% of working-aged women are employed. This was very surprising to me as it is the lowest percentage of the EU. Finally, we talked about the difference between Italy and America in terms of economic, political, and social systems. An example that stuck out to me was when Professor Swain had us pretend to explain to an Italian why an American student would wear college apparel in public. In Italy, there is less that goes into getting accepted into a college, so Italians might find it strange to wear college apparel. Additionally, we talked about the differences between the Italian and American political systems. Italy has many political parties while America has two main ones. This may result in Americans being more involved in the elections and more emotional when presidents are elected. 

At my internship this week, more workers joined our team. Dafne and Melissa were hired as the package designers. I was able to work with them to create a new package design for the US market. It was fun to follow the process of creating slogans and key-words that needed to be added to the package. Although Dafne and Melissa had great designs, they needed my help with the correct wording because english is not their first language. This is not something that I would say is in my forte. It was more difficult than I thought to design packages so that they capture the eye of a customer walking through the grocery store. I also did research on competitors’ social media to see the kinds of content they were posting as well as what customers were saying in their comments. I looked at Cure Hydration and Bloom. 

Since my last journal entry was on Sunday, I have not traveled anywhere in Italy since then. However, I have been immersing myself more in Italian culture. Before arriving in Italy, I did not drink much coffee. Now that I am here, I have been drinking coffee almost every day, starting with a cappuccino in the morning. Something that I have found interesting is that Italians do not really eat a full meal until lunch around 1-1:30pm. In the morning, they rely on a cappuccino and maybe a croissant to get through the morning. This is very different from American breakfast. I have also been exploring different parts of Milan, starting with Chinatown. Abi and I work in Chinatown because our boss Emmanuela lives there. It is quite an interesting part of Milan, and it is very lively. This week, Abi and I had our first lunch in Chinatown. There are many food places to choose from that line the streets where many people sit outside to enjoy their meal. The most street food I have seen is in Chinatown. I got a bao bun and soup dumplings. It was so bad. I am not sure if we picked the wrong restaurant or what, but that was some of the worst food I have eaten in Italy. I think from now on, I will stick to Italian food and sushi. After work, I enjoy walking to IES. It is crazy how many cafes and restaurants I pass on my walk. I feel as though in America, all these cafes and restaurants would not survive, so I am shocked whenever I see five cafes in one block. This weekend I plan to head to Venice which I am looking forward to.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week we began Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course. We read many interesting articles for class. For Monday, we read about the future of de-globalization and the implications that different outcomes have. For Wednesday, we read about the ways in which market capitalism is disrupted and how businesses have a role in implementing strategies that mitigate the dysfunctions of current market capitalism. It is easy for me to think that the government should be responsible for solving the issues of market capitalism, but this reading made me realize that businesses are more likely to create change. The final reading we had covered how startups are becoming more reluctant to go public because of the success they have with private investors. This is related to my WSJ article about Fearless Fund, an investment group that created a program to give grants to Black startup owners so they can grow their businesses. In class on Monday, we watched a documentary about Adam Smith and his ideas about free market, morals, and self-interest. I was able to work with my group to discuss our thoughts about the videos and better understand what Adam Smith’s intentions were with regards to the market. In class on Wednesday we watched the second part of the documentary on Adam Scott and discussed case studies in groups. My group studied a situation in which an older woman got scammed $700,000, and her banks did not detect a scam. The bank allowed the transfer to go through. Although I do not think the bank should have to detect scams, I do think they should be responsible to reimburse the member.    

For Professor Swain and Gupta’s Internship Seminar class, we started by discussing our own Personal Cultural Profiles. I was able to hear more about my classmates’ opinions on their own practices. We also continued discussing what Italian culture is like and how it differs from our own using the Cultural Profile as a guide. Then, we read the Parable of Sadhu and answered guiding questions in groups. My group was chosen to be one of the teams in the debate of whether the hikers in the story made an ethical decision or not. Being a part of the debate was very intriguing as I was able to express my own opinion in front of the whole class and answer questions that the other team posed. I realized that it is a good skill to be able to debate on a side, no matter if you agree with it or not. Through this case study, I learned that ethical decisions are not cut and dry. It can be very difficult to decide what is the correct thing to do in certain circumstances. At first, I automatically thought that the hikers were not ethical. However, as I heard more opinions, I was able to see the other side more.   

In my internship this week, I focused on creating more content that Emmanuela can use to launch SuiteFood to the US market. Emmanuela expressed her interest in launching SuiteFood on Kickstarter as a way to fundraise. Through this internship, I have learned that it is more difficult to grow and start businesses in Italy than the US. There are more restrictions and less opportunities to fundraise in Italy, so Emmanuela is looking to enter the US market as best she can. I created multiple scripts for videos that we can use to launch the product on Kickstarter. It will be interesting to look at how much Kickstarter helps the company. On Thursday and Friday, I researched other products on amazon that were similar to SuiteFood’s powder. Emmanuela wanted me to look at the reviews and see what people were saying about competitors’ products. I also used this information to create a target audience for her product. I created a profile for her target customer which consisted of a middle-aged woman who lives in the US and is living a healthy lifestyle through working out and eating well. 

This Thursday, the Lehigh group went to a wine tasting event that was hosted by IES. We were able to try three different wines and learn about them. It was very interesting to learn about all the different wines from Italy. It is truly incredible how much information there is to know about wine. The most important takeaway I had was that I learned the proper way to taste wine, and what different colors, textures and smells will tell you about the wine. This weekend I traveled to Florence. It was a beautiful city that was definitely more crowded with tourists than Milan. I did not realize how important leather is in Florence. I went to multiple markets where the streets were filled with leather bags, coats and wallets. I did not buy anything because I wanted to save my money for pasta. It was well worth it, as the pasta was amazing there. However, my favorite meal was a blueberry steak from Acqua Al Due. I went to the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo’s David sculpture, but the line was way too long and we did not have a ticket. I hope to go back one day where I will get my ticket ahead of time and see the sculpture. My favorite activity in Florence was going on the ferris wheel after dinner. It was a great way to see the whole, beautiful city all at once. I also got a tour of the city in a horse carriage. These are two activities that I would recommend to anyone who visits Florence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course, this week I read an article about OpenAI’s copyright issues for my WSJ post. I was previously not aware of the numerous copyright issues that OpenAI has been facing. They have been accused by numerous people and companies for using information without having full consent. I found this topic to be very interesting because although there were many accusations against OpenAI that seemed strong, OpenAI always seemed to have strong responses that made them seem not guilty. It did not seem clear as to whether OpenAI did break copyright laws or not. I had not thought about all the information that OpenAI needed to use to create their programs. There does not seem to be a clear line as to what existing information OpenAI can and cannot use. In addition to this article, I also enjoyed reading other articles and WSJ posts. Alexandra responded to a very interesting article about new Coca-Cola plastic bottle caps that are now connected to the bottle. I noticed that these new bottles are used in Milan, and I am not a fan. Although it is very ethical to be sustainable, the new bottles are not making customers happy which can hurt profits. I could see this as being an ethical dilemma for many companies as they have to choose whether to become more sustainable or make more profit. From my perspective, the new bottles scratch my face when I try to drink from them. As a customer, I would rather have companies find a different way to be sustainable. I will continue to watch what changes are made to this issue as I find it very intriguing. 

This Tuesday, we had Professor Swain and Gupta’s first Internship Seminar class. Before we had class, our homework assignment was to read about the Cultural Analysis Toolkit and complete a self assessment chart about the cultural features that we read about. It was very interesting to learn about some of the ways in which cultures differ. There are many attitudes, behaviors and beliefs that make cultures different from one another that I did not necessarily think about before this class. To integrate my learning outside of the classroom, I started paying more attention to the ways in which Italian culture may differ from American culture. One big difference that we talked about in class was the organization category. In the US, they have more of a schedule-oriented culture. This means that meetings start and end on time and events happen linearly. There is a commitment to following an agenda. However, in Italy, I have noticed that they have more of a flow-oriented culture. Even on my first day of work, my boss was running late. Although she was late, she did not seem to mind. Meetings may end early or late, and events occur simultaneously rather than linearly. After learning about the Cultural Analysis Toolkit, I have realized that there is not a right or wrong way of life and work, but different cultures have different practices. It is important to realize those differences rather than judge other cultures for how they do things. 

Although I have only been doing my internship for a week, I have really enjoyed it so far. I have worked from my boss, Emmanuela’s, home everyday. Working at her house has allowed me to engage even more with Italian culture. Emmanuela’s husband also works from home, and each day, I work next to him at the table. Both Emmanuela and her husband are always very nice and welcoming. Every morning they ask me if I would like a coffee, to which I have learned that I must say yes to. The first day, when I denied coffee that was offered by Emmanuela’s husband, he seemed offended even though I was just trying to be polite. For work this week, I first learned more about the company and the product by doing research. Then, I created TikTok transcripts that we will use in the future. Finally, I created about ten digital video clips on Canva that we will be inserting into the end of our videos. Something I have noticed is that Italians work at a much slower pace than Americans. I do not feel like I have completed that much work, but I do think that I do the work more thoroughly. There are pros and cons to both strategies, but it is interesting to notice the difference. 

The highlight of my week was being able to explore more of Milan. I tried new foods, drinks and of course did more shopping. My favorite meal so far was at a new restaurant that Emanuela, our Italian Bootcamp Teacher, recommended named Ai Balestrari. Not only was the pasta amazing, the restaurant itself is very cute and it has a great atmosphere. I will definitely be going back there. I also went to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery as part of my explorations in Milan. Although I realize that I should probably not be drinking Starbucks in Milan, I recommend the experience of going to the Reserve to all who visit Milan. It is a very cool experience and there are special drinks and food items that one could never get at a Starbucks in The States. On Saturday, our group took a trip to the Swiss Alps. It was definitely one of the prettiest mountain ranges that I have ever seen. Upon arriving after the three hour bus ride, the group first did a high-ropes course. While I have done high-ropes courses in the past, none have been as climactic as this one. The scenery around the course was beautiful and the action that went on was hilarious, like when people would zip-line straight into trees or get stuck on the course. After the ropes course, we took a long lunch break where we walked to a lookout sight. Then, we drove 20 minutes to start the hike. It was very cool to hike in snow, although it made the hike very slippery. We were supposed to hike to a lake; however, my group was not able to because Marta, the leader of IES, did not feel comfortable with us crossing a very steep and snowy path. It was a bummer that the hike got cut short, but I really enjoyed the trip and getting to spend more time with the group.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next week, I am looking forward to starting Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course. The objective of this course is to understand the ways in which ethics play a role in company practices. The main question we are going to explore is whether companies’ only goal is to create profits, or are companies also expected to better society. Our goal is to answer this question by looking at many different present-day challenges that companies are facing. Many of these challenges are due to societal pressures and exploring what is ethical. In my WSJ post this week, I read about commercial real estate and the implications of high property values. This led me to think about retail in a new form by exploring who has power in the market. I noticed that well-known, luxury brands have more power in the market than most other brands. It was very interesting to read others’ posts and view the comments. In this class, we will continue to collaborate and discuss together and in groups so that we are able to hear many different perspectives and opinions on these topics. We will explore different types of corporate governance and how companies use, or do not use, CSR practices.

Today I had my first Internship Seminar class with Professor Swain and Gupta. I gained a lot of insight into some of the differences in the work culture between the United States and Italy. It was very interesting to hear about my classmates’ first experiences on the job. Some common themes that my classmates mentioned were that unlike Americans, Italians put more emphasis on breaks throughout the workday. We talked a lot about the lunch break and coffee breaks that Italians take seriously. Most workplaces have one hour dedicated specifically for lunch which they will spend together. This class was also very helpful as Professor Swain gave us valuable tips that I will take with me throughout my work. Some of her tips included always asking questions, proving yourself first, and being proactive. I also learned to always say yes to coffee, stay in touch, be flexible and schedule your days. Finally, we talked about cultural behaviors and attitudes from the Cultural Analysis Toolkit. This helped me understand the many different ways in which cultures can differ from each other. Some categories included status, authority, involvement, collaboration and time. It is clear that working in Italy is an adjustment, but understanding the cultural differences is important when starting the work. 

On Monday, I started the first day of my internship at SuiteFood. SuiteFood is an organic, vegan food company that produces coconut powder that is used to replace sugar or artificial sweeteners in drinks. According to their website, “​​SuiteFood transforms the passion for sustainable nutrition into delicious coconut-based products. We combine taste and respect for the planet in every bite.” (Suitefood). At SuiteFood, I will be working on the marketing side where I will create videos that can be posted on TikTok, Instagram, or the SuiteFood website. The goal of my work is to introduce SuiteFood to the US market. I was nervous to go in on my first day because I did not know what to expect. I started out by going to my boss, Emmanuela’s house. Something I have learned is that many Italians work from their home if possible to reduce the rent costs. I met her 7 year-old son and her husband, who also works from home. It was very interesting to start my day at my bosses house, but it allowed me to experience more Italian culture. I was able to try the coconut powder, which I thought tasted very good. Emmanuela was telling me about the many ways that this product can be used. It can be mixed with coffee, water, milk, smoothies, or used as an ingredient in meals. Since there was a lot of noise in her house, we walked to a nearby workspace that had many tables of people working and a bar for drinks. Here, I researched more about the product so that I could better understand what I am selling. Before I started making the videos, it was important that I understood exactly what the product was and the benefits behind the product. I spent most of the first and second day collecting this research. There are many benefits to coconuts including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and lipid-modulating properties. I plan to implement the research that I collected into the videos that I create. Tomorrow, I am hoping that I will start creating the content.

Upon arriving in Italy on the morning of Wednesday, May 22nd, I was eager to explore the city. After I settled in at Aparto, I walked around the city, grabbed lunch and did some shopping. I was truly taken aback by seeing the Duomo for the first time. It is such a pretty building, and I love that it is right in the center of the city. It is a very lively place which makes it fun to gather with people. The first time taking the tram was a culture-shock as the doors closed before I got in. I would say I have improved my public transportation skills since then. On Saturday, I went on the day trip with IES to Lake Maggiore. Just looking through the bus window on the ride in, I could tell this place was spectacular. By boat, we ventured to three different islands on the lake. The first island was Isola Madre. Here, we walked through the English Garden and the Borromeo Palace. It was hard to believe that the Borromeo Family used to have the entire island all to themselves. Next, we had lunch at Fisherman’s Island. This Island, which is home to 50 inhabitants, had the most buildings with lots of restaurants. I got a great pasta with spinach and ricotta. The last island we went to was Isola Bella. This translates to “Beautiful Island” which definitely fits the name. Also owned by the Borromeo Family, there was a large castle on this island and behind the castle was a beautiful botanic garden. This island was definitely the most touristy out of the three and there were many people at the garden, in addition to the three peacocks. After we got back to Milan on Saturday night, we tried to go to the AC Milan soccer game. Unfortunately, the tickets did not work so we could not go into the stadium. You win some, you lose some, and somehow AC Milan ended up tying to one of the worst teams in the league. It was still fun to see the massive stadium and listen to the erupting crowd from outside San Siro. I loved exploring Lake Maggiore and am looking forward to continuing to explore in and around Milan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During my time in Milan this summer, I have specific expectations that I hope will be fulfilled in each of the four key elements of the program. In the Academic Enrichment via Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course, I expect to gain a deeper knowledge of what companies’ roles are within the public sector, and how companies may take different approaches to achieve their CSR goals. I believe that part of running an ethical company is giving back to stakeholders and the community as a whole, but I hope to see if many companies agree with this. Additionally I hope to learn about how companies’ values affect their profits, and if regular consumers really pay attention to these values or not. 

In the Academic Enrichment via Gupta/Swain Internship Seminar, I hope to develop my personal and professional skills that I can use in career building. My expectation for this course is that it will set me up as a good candidate for future internships. I hope to build upon my resume so that it will be recognized by companies. I want to learn what makes a resume stand out and what are bad techniques that are commonly used. I also hope to build upon my interviewing skills so that I am less nervous when going through future interviews. I believe my interviewing skills could use a lot of work, and I would like to know how to be professional and confident while interviewing. 

In my actual internship, my expectation is that I will develop fundamental skills necessary to be successful in the work environment. I hope that my work will contribute to benefit the company so that I can feel my work being appreciated. If I can see how I am helping the company, the work will be more rewarding to me. Although things may go wrong, I hope to learn from my mistakes so that I am able to do better in the future and avoid those mistakes in future jobs. Most importantly, I hope that I enjoy the work that I do and the environment that I work in. With this, I hope to build good relationships with my coworkers and boss.  

Finally, in cultural immersion through group and personal travel, my expectation is that by exploring other cultures, I will gain new perspectives. As a part of this, I hope to meet new people who share different backgrounds as me so that I am able to get a different understanding of the world. In addition to exploring Milan, I expect to travel to other cities in Italy and Europe, and immerse myself into as many cultures as possible. When in all these different places, I want to learn about how cultures differ from my own through learning about their daily practices. By the end of the program, I expect to be more well-rounded than when I came into it.