This week at work, we carried on working on our project, summarizing scientific papers relating to drug discovery and different AI methods, as well as conducting more market research. Pietro and Davide also gave us more information on what they were looking for, which helped us narrow down our search. We also had another meeting with them where we updated them on what we finished this week, which they seemed pretty happy with. I am really enjoying this work because I think it perfectly combines my knowledge of science and biology with business, and I am also learning so much from it. I’m really looking forward to seeing where this project goes in the future.

In class this week, we continued discussing our Wall Street Journal articles, and also did an assignment in which we debated the two BRT statements regarding CSR, which I found really thought provoking and interesting to learn about. On Thursday, we talked about a case study concerning Apple and their suppliers in relation to CSR. I found this case study very compelling because it put so many things into perspective, and got some really great arguments flowing in class. In Professor Swain’s class, we continued to study Italian culture, as we discussed cultural differences when it comes to dealing with conflict and issues in the workplace or personal lives. I felt like I got to know my classmates better when hearing about how they deal with confrontation in their lives, and the conversations were very stimulating. 

My friends and I explored the Isola neighborhood in Milan this week, which has recently become famous for its street art and graffiti. We even found an Eataly market, just like the one we have in New York, where we had some of the best fresh squeezed orange juice I have had. This weekend, we also traveled to Budapest, which I was so excited about because I had never been there before. It was absolutely beautiful, we were able to meet people from all over the world who were also traveling around Europe which was an amazing experience, and ate some delicious Hungarian chimney cakes. We also got to see the famous parliament building, liberty statue, the Buda castle, and ended with a sunset boat ride along the Danube river. 

Academics:

This week we read and discussed a real life case study that involves Apple the company. It was about mistreated employees in China. Topics covered unsuitable working conditions, unfair pay, and tedious hours. In class we discussed whether Apple’s was at fault or if it were another organization. Some students made an argument for the government in China. Others believed it to be the supplier making the products for Apple that owned the warehouse. It seemed hard to “legally” pin Apple for the embarrassing treatment of employees for they had no say in the production system or governing rules. We also discussed margins and how they might vary along with the consequences that the consumer may experience. 

 

Schooling in Milan:

My job in Milan is getting more interesting as my team and I are shifting from market research into developing business plans and models. We have recently been additionally tasked with finding the best means of production and marketing strategies if/when the product is launched. We have been exploring market gaps and various possible areas where the developing algorithm for pathogens in plants will be most desired. We have learned a lot about competitors in the industry and have impressed our bosses with our findings. It is fun helping them and seeing how appreciative they are of our work. I am interested to see where they go in the future and if their product is a success. It’s sad that it is only the beginning phases of their product and we are already leaving so soon.

 

Cultural Immersion: 

This weekend I traveled to Ibiza with another member of the program, Robert Lapsley. We met up with friends of ours that are currently backpacking through Europe. It was so beautiful and the beaches were unbelievable. The food there was mostly seafood, but since a lot of Europeans travel there for “holiday” they had all kinds of restaurants. I heard almost every language in Europe while we were there and few people I met actually live there year round. It was also nice because most of the people spoke Spanish which I can speak a lot better than Italian. It was a lot of fun using Spanish to communicate and navigate the island and even the people there respected me trying. I think it was my favorite trip so far because of how relaxing the scenery and daily life is on the island.

This weekend we visited Budapest for a few days. We started off our travels with lunch by St Stephens Basilica, and then wandered down to the parliament building along the river. We took a boat trip down the river and got the see the city as the sun was setting. After our boat trip we went an explored some of the cities most iconic ruin bars. These bars are built into old war torn buildings, and have a labyrinth of different rooms all with different themes and vibes. The next day we walked across the bridge to the Buda side of the city and took a hike up to the liberty statue. After that we went to the fisherman’s bastion and spent some time wandering around and getting a much needed coffee. We passed by a castle on our way to the Gellert thermal baths. The baths are a major part of visiting Budapest, and the natural and thermal water pools have many healing properties to them. We hung out there and relaxed for a bit before we headed back to our AirBnB. We stopped to get some chimney cakes before grabbing dinner at an outdoor restaurant that had pong pong and other games to play. After dinner we headed to an ice bar in which we were the only people there, then we headed back out to discover some more ruin bars. On our last day we finished off with heading to central market to do some souvenirs shopping and grab some food, then we hung out in a park until our flight home.

This week I spent a lot of time doing cost analysis and creating budget for my company. They are a hospitality type of company and I spent majority of the week doing research on eco friendly cleaning products, personal hygiene products, and other amenities. I had to search through a lot of different companies to find ones that were either based in italy or europe, as well as make determinations about which products were actually good for the environment. I spent a lot of time communicating on the phone or over emails with suppliers, and was trying my best to figure out pricing and quantities with people who spoke little English. It was nice to be able to get into some more logistics and the business side of the company as I have spent most of my time coming up with ideas to be more sustainable as well as dealing with B Corp certification requirements.

In class this week we spent a lot of time focusing on the ethicality of certain business situations as well as digging deeper into the concept of why we continue to buy from companies with questionable practices. We mainly focused on Apple and read a case study that talked about the making of iphones and the extremely poor working conditions the Chinese companies that supply the phones have for their employees. It was interesting to discuss whether this is something that Apple needs to be responsible for as they aren’t technically the company that is making the phones. Hearing peoples opinions on the matter was interesting and we also somewhat put it into perspective that Apple could be a special case. I know I personally don’t buy from Nike anymore because of their use of child labor, as well as the horrible treatment their female sponsored athletes get from them. They are an easier company for me to avoid, but with apple it gets to be more difficult as they essentially run the technology world.

 

This week was very eventful! I had the delight of continuing my travel throughout Milan and getting to know the city even better each and every day. The main attraction from this week however was my weekend trip to Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. This was without a doubt my favorite city that I have visited so far on this trip. I was able to meet two of my friends that have been studying in Barcelona this past month. It was awesome to catch up with them and share each of our great experiences so far while studying abroad while enjoying the beautiful city of Amsterdam! Amsterdam had some incredible views and an impressive canal system that ran through the entire city! This was very cool to me as I have never seen a city as big and populated as Amsterdam with such an intricate flowing water system. I had the pleasure of immersing myself in the culture by going on a guided boat tour throughout the city, eating scrumptious Dutch pancakes and waffles, along with taking a tour of the first Heineken brewery! This is a trip I could not recommend enough for any individual looking for a relaxing trip or even interested in exciting and eventful nightlife at bars and even clubs.

This week’s classes were once again very insightful. There are multiple instances where Professor Gupta will go over a concept that I am not completely familiar with, but after discussion and collaboration with fellow classmates I feel extremely informed each and every time. This week’s readings and course material was my favorite to date and allowed me to reflect on Corporations impact on myself and how they can help sustain and improve production within their businesses. Listening to different perspectives of other students in class is also interesting to me as varying perspectives offer great insight into each and every differing topic that Professor Gupta goes in depth with. It is once again clear that Professor Gupta enjoys leading discussions and informing us about Corporate Social Responsibility and the effects it has on society.

My internship this week was once again busy and productive. This week, instead of just creating write-ups for companies that my manager, Stefania, assigns, she gave of the opportunity to actually write an article for the site that she would review and approve before uploading to the EdiBeez website. Upon reviewal, my manager loved how the article came out and was thoroughly impressed with our research and writing skills. Aside from a few minor errors with length and citations, our manager informed us to edit the article and show it to her upon our next meeting. This is an extremely exciting opportunity for myself and my fellow colleague, Will, as we will be uploading a research article to the EdiBeez website for investors and companies to read, review, and hopefully take smart action!

This week I went to Cinque Terre which means five lands. They used to be 5 fishing villages scattered along the coast and built on the sides of mountains and valleys. They are known for their pesto and focaccia so we got paninis (sandwiches) that had both and I think it was the best sandwich I have ever had. We had a lovely time sipping wine on the rocks next to the beach and relaxing. Because it was going to only be a day trip we decided to get an Airbnb so we could stay a little longer. The next day we explored more of the terres and went to the beach again. When we got back to work I was instructed to gather data from all the surveys I collected, analyze them, and put it into a slideshow to present to the whole company. It was interesting to see how differently Italians travel versus how Americans do. For instance, most of their trips are shorter in duration probably because everything in Europe is so close. As for classes I’m definitely seeing the impacts of what we talk about daily. I have gotten used to thinking about how corporations affect our daily lives and discussing it with friends.

I also traveled to Pforzheim and Baden-Baden Germany to visit some of my friends who are studying and living there. We talked about the differences in German, Italian, and American cultures and it was interesting to see how similar but different Germans were to Italians. I also had missed seeing my friends and it was a whole new experience getting to adventure abroad together. Germans are a lot more accommodating when it comes to food because I had no trouble eating there at all and they had many options of things I could eat that were vegetarian/vegan. Usually, when I get food in Italy it is the same iteration of tomato, cheese, basil, and either bread or pasta so I was really happy to try different things. They even had vegan schnitzel and I have never had real schnitzel so I didn’t know what to expect. It was not what I expected because I thought it was going to be a wiener but it was more like a flat pancake. I also went to a Biergarten and tried a German Radler which was beer mixed with a citric soda (probably sprite). I also got to meet their German friends who were not like the stereotypical germans at all. They were all funny, nice, and welcoming and they spoke English extremely well. I was shocked that they cared about the environment even more than Italians. They don’t have AC in most of their buildings which got to be quite a struggle as temperatures rose to 95 degrees. I care deeply about the environment so I was happy to not cause any issues for the environment, but I don’t think I have ever been that hot for so long. The people all around were kind and helpful for instance at the airport I was running late because of train delays and a family let me skip in front of them. Then in security, I was bringing my dad home a present for fathers day and the TSA agent inspected it and let me through with it because he could tell that I was really bummed he had to confiscate it. I want to go back to Germany and visit some of the bigger cities but for now Auf Wiedersehen!

 

Academic Course of Corporate Social Responsibility

This week we discussed the Apple corporation’s multiple suppliers and unjust working conditions in Asian factories. Apple, the leading innovator in the electronic software field, produces higher margins than any other competitor. As Apple is one of the wealthiest and most powerful corporations, I found it shocking that the company was not immediately and proactively addressing the reports of worker abuse in their factories. Although stories of employee suicide, abusive labor hours, no bathroom breaks, and unsanitary living conditions continued to be brought to public light, Apple refused to have their profits suffer in the name of justice. Apple addressed these claims and made unsuccessful changes. As Apple is a company that could survive with slight profit drawbacks in order to ensure workers were treated correctly, their lack of care for their in this matter highlighted American corporate greed once again.

Practicum in Milan with an Italian Company

This week at Assofintech I am continuing my research on the different areas of the Fintech industry in Italy.  This research is then being used to locate new partners and maintain relationships with existing partners in the industry. This research has been extremely beneficial to my understanding of the field. I am constantly learning about how different companies engage in fields such as the meta verse, neo banks, embedded finance, and crypto infrastructure. Along with my growing knowledge in the field, I am growing as an individual in the business world. The friendly conversations during breaks and lunch have resulted in me building relationships and experiences that I will never forget. Learning how to properly conduct yourself in a casual business environment will be something I carry forward for the rest of my life.

Social and Cultural Immersion through travels in Italy and Europe

This weekend I was beyond excited to go visit my old highschool friend who happened to be studying abroad in Florence. Within minutes of arriving in Florence I immediately noticed vast differences from Milan. The streets were small, quant, and cobblestone unlike the bustling city of Milan. The American comparison we made was Milan reminding us of New York City when Florence reminded us more of a quiet more pretty Boston environment.  My friends apartment was directly across from the Florence Duomo with a direct view of the face of the building. We toured Italians leather markets and walked around outdoor shopping plazas until we all got too hot in the Florence heat. We then made our way to my favorite dinner in Milan so far where I was able to order gluten free gnocchi. This restaurant was such a treat for someone with Celiac and the staff made the whole experience an unforgettable one. We met many American college students from all over who were also enjoying their last few weeks of studying abroad in Italy. I could definitely see myself studying in Florence as well in the future!

This week at HERE Fashion Hub, Alex, Gunnar, and I continued pitching our product and handing out surveys to other IES classes. We are making great progress on our survey responses and are beginning to finalize the market research we were tasked with performance. Gunnar and I continued perfecting our competitor analyses. We have looked closely at many start-up luggage brands, more specifically, what their shareholder structure looks like. I am learning a lot about start-up companies which I am happy about, given I would like to start my own company one day. We met with our boss, Filippo, over zoom, and he gave us positive feedback and appreciated our input and hard work.

In class we discussed an extensive Apple case study that described the issues associated with Apple’s suppliers and poor labor conditions. This relates to corporations and whether they should be accountable for socially irresponsible actions carried out by their suppliers. The class came to a general conclusion that corporations as big as Apple should hold high ethical standards, and cheap labor can cause issues that negatively affect brand image. However, given Apple’s loyal fanbase, sales won’t be affected too heavily by bad press. If Apple advocates for better working conditions through regulation, they must ensure that their competition is affected by the higher wages as well. If Apple only advocates for regulation of their own suppliers, competitors can grow market share by taking advantage of cheap labor and poor conditions.

I had a very full week of exploring and traveling. My friends and I walked around parts of Milan that we had not seen yet including China town and Zona Solari. We went to the Museo delle Culture, which is an art museum that has exhibits showcasing different cultures in Milan. On Friday, we travelled to Geneva Switzerland. The bus ride through the Swiss Alps was incredible and we got to enjoy the beautiful views that Geneva has to offer. We spent the day on the beach at Lake Geneva, and got to embrace the summer heat and the crisp cool water of Lake Geneva. We were lucky to stay in Geneva the same weekend the city was having a massive street food fair. On Saturday we got delicious street food and relaxed at the Parc del La Grange, a giant park with a ferris wheel and views of the lake. It was interesting adjusting to a new culture for a few days. The majority of the population spoke French so we had to learn basic French phrases in order to buy food and communicate with people.

This week in Prof. Gupta’s class, we discussed the Apple Case Study. The Apple Case study was about Apple’s corporate social responsibility challenges in its supply chain. We debated in class whether or not Apple should be held accountable for their supplier’s actions who have violated their worker’s rights. We would also put ourselves in the CEO’s shoes and think about ways on how Apple should address the issue. Two actions we think Apple should do differently is take measures to the market level and work more closely with NGOs. By making changes at the market level, Apple won’t lose their competitive edge with other tech firms and instead the whole market will lose some margins altogether. Working with NGOs will best reduce the issue of violating workers’ rights and will minimize the situation.

For my internship, I worked on three different tasks. In the beginning of the week, I checked if the accounts and transactions of the bank (Intesa Sanpaolo) are the exact same as the accounts in our accounting system. If the numbers were off by a little, I had to adjust the numbers in our system and make sure the numbers balanced at the very end. Towards the middle of the week, I created new client active invoices with one of the invoice programs our firm uses and then recorded the invoices into the accounting system. Finally, my last assignment for the week was closing out the accounts of all the brokers and their clients. When closing them, the costs go to a separate account called “ArrotondaMento”. Then, at the very end we will see if it is a gain or loss for the company. The current balance sheet is 600 pages and by closing the accounts, it reduces it to 20-25 pages. The skill I developed from this task was typing in numbers with the keypad at a high rate with little to no errors.

This weekend, my friends and I visited Florence, Italy. It was a wonderful city to see and I wish I was there for a longer period of time. Compared to Milan, the streets and buildings seemed more authentic and less modernized and the city itself was much smaller. Florence was packed with tourists and it didn’t even feel like I was in Italy at times because everywhere I looked there were people from all around the world with many Americans. Two sights I saw were the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and the replica of Michelangelo’s David. For food, I had the Florentine Steak and it was so delicious that I had it twice in one day. At night, I went to the Lion’s Fountain Irish Pub where they had shirts of almost every college hung up on the ceiling with signatures on them. I had no choice but to take part in this activity and sign my name on the Lehigh shirt. Overall, I had a great time in Florence and I can definitely see why college students choose Florence to study abroad in.

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

Replica of Michelangelo’s David

Florentine Steak

Signing the Lehigh shirt at The Lion’s Fountain Pub

 

I found that Professor Gupta’s classes this week were the most interesting so far due to the high area of debate. On Thursday, we went over a case study called “A Case on Apple and its Suppliers” in which we discussed the alleged human rights violations against Apple. The biggest debate was whether or not people believed it was Apple’s responsibility for these violations, given that they occurred in factories overseas, such as China. I found this debate to be very though-provoking because it raises a lot of questions regarding the different ethical standards around the world. Personally, I think Apple is responsible for the alleged human rights violations because as a part of their CSR, they should ensure that their suppliers actually follow through with fair labor practices in their contracts. If stricter rules are enforced by Apple and their contracts with suppliers, maybe the human rights violations would not occur.

As for my Internship at Circularity, nothing new or exciting has happened recently. I am still working on my competitor analysis with the company Austin Materials Marketplace, where I have been taking note of some different marketing tactics that they use in the US. This task has been taking me longer than I anticipated due to the extensive amount of research that I needed to do in order to collect information for my presentation. Although the commute is long and dreadful, I really do enjoying being in the office much more than working remotely. I find myself much more motivated and efficient when I am surrounded by others in the office with common goals. I am looking forward to visiting the office with the entire class on Tuesday for the lecture.

This past week in Italy, we went on a class trip to Cinque Terre where I was able to stay overnight with some friends on a boat. I had such an amazing experience in Cinque Terre, from the food to the sights, this has been one of the greatest places I have visited yet! Although it was very hot and humid, we were able to go to the beach and cool off a little bit before going out to dinner at one of the main islands, Monterosso. Sleeping on a boat for the first time was a very interesting experience. I was expecting to feel a little motion sickness, but the rocking of the boat actually put me right to sleep. I would recommend Cinque Terre to anyone that is visiting Italy, and would love to go back sometime again.

In class this week with Professor Gupta, we continued our discussion on corporations with the topics of social reform and a case study. Much of our first class consisted of a recorded lecture by Paul DeNicola, who visited Lehigh as a guest lecturer in 2019. Mr. DeNicola gave a general overview of corporate governance and discussed related trends over time, among other things. Topics included the composition of directors on the board, shareholder behavior, and corporations becoming more involved. In the second half of our week, we debated the ins and outs of a case study on Apple. It wasn’t easy to answer most of the questions that Professor Gupta brought up. What should Jeff Williams do in his new position as SVP Operations? How responsible is Apple for the actions of its suppliers? What would we do differently?

This week at Tempocasa wrapped on a large bulk, the first half, of my time working for the company. Our supervisors ultimately assigned us this summer to research what makes US real estate companies so successful in the market and what makes them different from Italian companies. This week, we finally gave our presentation to our supervisors. On Monday, we gave a preliminary presentation to someone at the company who said what we did was good, but it was going in the wrong direction. We were very confused when given this feedback but we adjusted our final presentation to present to our supervisor on Thursday. The presentation on Thursday went great. In my section, I analyzed two Italian companies, Toscano and Re/Max Italia, and compared them to US giant Keller Williams, pointing out successful strategies and areas for improvement.

This past week, I finally went on my most anticipated trip of the program, Cinque Terre. I was able to stay for an extra day in the beautiful village of Vernazza because a few people and I booked an Airbnb. This was the first place I have ever visited that was not a traditional beach. Instead, we spent a lot of time swimming in the sea, climbing, and subsequently, jumping off of massive rocks. At night, we were able to have dinner right next to the beach at the restaurant where our Airbnb host works. On our second day there, we took to visiting the other villages on our way back to the train. Highlights included the mozzarella and pesto focaccia, our terrace overlooking the village, and the best gifts to shop for. Other than Cinque Terre, I toured Brera, the design district, during design week. I was able to visit a Hermès design show which showed off their new ideas.