Academic Course in Corporate Social Responsibility

This week’s course content I found very interesting because I thought it was very applicable to my past experiences and hopefully future ones. I found the video that we watched in class to be extremely disturbing and it gave me a lot of food for thought. The most concerning thing for me was the environment because that is a source of stress for me every day and I feel like it is only getting worse because of these corporations. I think by being conscious of it always everyone together can mitigate the massive impact we are having on our planet.

We went shopping along a street full of stories that I didn’t recognize and they were all small brands and upcycle thrift stores. I thought this is very interesting because I thought as one of the fashion capitals of the world that there would not be these small boutiques. Also, thrift stores I didn’t think would be a very big thing. I did find a lot of unique items and I was happy that they weren’t generic and most likely done in a sweatshop. Also, the part in the video where it was talking about the children working in sweatshops made me think a lot about where my clothes come from and has definitely played a part in my shopping decisions since we’ve been here.

Internship

This week the work for my internship started picking up a lot more and I was able to create a survey to give to the IES students and I corrected the survey that one of my supervisors wrote in English that we will be using to survey at least 300 people on the street during design week. I have been utilizing the IES center a lot and have been able to complete a lot of my work outside of the office. I would say not a lot of my work is done in the office and I mostly receive tasks that I am to work on remotely and the time in the office is mostly to check in and discuss plans and objectives. Most of the time we sit and chat with the people working there and talk about either the things going on in Milan or the cultural differences we have found in our time here.

Social and Cultural Immersion

I tried risotto here for the first time which is a nice switch up from the typical margarita pizza or Caprese. I am also learning a lot more Italian and I’m really proud of myself when I can communicate with someone and I can understand what they mean fully in Italian. I also went out to the Italian clubs and it’s very interesting to see how the people interacted because it was very different than in America but there were some similarities. I noticed there were a lot of songs that were popular in America a year ago or more which I thought was funny because I wouldn’t say they were popular in America anymore at all. I also found it easier to tell who is American and who is not either by brands, jewelry, the way they move about, or the mannerisms they have. One big thing is that we wear brighter colors and less clothing than the average Italian and our shoes are a big give away. I have not seen any Italians in converse or any brand like that which I found funny because I thought they were pretty popular all around the world. We have gotten the opportunity to travel a lot here which is a lot easier in the US because you can take a train anywhere and there is not so much planning involved. The train rides and waiting for food and drinks tends to take up a lot of time so I bought deck of cards (or so I thought) but it turned out to be an Italian game called Scopa which Jenny knew how to play and taught a bunch of us. It was really fun and I’m glad I accidentally bought it!

After being in Milan for a second week, life here is definitely getting to feel more normal. Taking public transportation no longer startles me, ordering at restaurants in Italian is less frightening, and working at my internship at Circularity feels engaging and fun. With the republic day of Italy this Thursday, I was able to accomplish a lot both academically and personally around Italy this week. This Monday was Kelly, Jay, and I’s first full day at work which was so exciting because we spent the whole day working on our roles and were able to explore the area around our building to get lunch and practice some of our Italian skills. Each of our projects push us past our comfort zones, and mine, personally, really allows me to combine my conceptual understanding of computer science with the business world and data organization. I have never worked in an environment where sustainability is being combined with technology, so it feels very interesting to be able to research and provide my ideas in an innovative way. While I still get overwhelmed with the 40 to 50 minute commute, my experiences in the workplace make the commute to Circularity worth it. 

Academically, I was introduced to many conversations about the business world that I did not traditionally think about before Professor Gupta’s class in Milan. This week we watched the documentary, “The Corporation”, in Corporate Social Responsibility class in which the film detailed the greed that takes place in the actions and makeup of a corporation as a legal entity. I was really surprised by how negative this documentary was in describing the examples of the unethical actions of corporations. It raised a large question in my mind through our discussion in class about why corporations always tend to care more about profit even if they do have CSR or sustainability because so many of the speakers in the documentary were those that spoke poorly about the intentions of corporations while being workers of corporations. Furthermore, in Professor Swain’s Italian culture class, it was exciting to hear about all the differences my peers and I noticed between American workplaces and our workplaces here in Milan. We even spoke about general cultural differences and parts of our daily lives which was fun to compare to my personal experiences.

Since my company, due to the holiday, offered 2 days off this week, my friends and I were able to do some fun traveling! After work, I was able to explore parts of Milan: shop around, do a wine tasting, and grab some gelato. I am happy that we got to see the famous painting, The Last Supper, with our class. On Thursday, we went to Lake Como which was very touristy and crowded, but nonetheless it was beautiful. We got to ride a tram up to the mountains and participated in some fun, unexpected hiking by getting lost up there. The next day we had our day trip to Bologna which was really fun, and my favorite part was making authentic tortellini with everyone in our class and Mrs. G(of course 🙂 ) . On Saturday, my friends and I were able to explore Venice which was also beautiful and so amazing to see in person. While the Gondola ride was very expensive, I would say it is worth it because I got some cool pictures and was so excited to be on one. This weekend was busy, tiring, but so fun because I could see so much both in Milan with my work adventures and so many other major cities in Italy!

On Monday, I was so excited to go in for my first actual work day, putting on my business casual clothes and starting my commute around 8:30 AM. Sanj, Dean, and I work at Phloema, which is only a minute away from the IES office as well as our classroom at Cattolica University, so this commute feels very comfortable now. When we got to the office, we started working on our assignment of doing market research into current AI methods in use in the drug industry, as well as finding relevant scientific articles relating to it. When our supervisor Marcello came in and we said hello, he again insisted we call him by his first name and nothing else, which still surprises me a little. Another thing I found really interesting is that he asked us to work in his office, in a desk right next to his, which I think would never happen in the US. This also helped make me feel more comfortable right away, and I’m looking  forward to continue working with the team over the next few weeks. 

Outside of work, I have been truly enjoying my classes with Professor Gupta and Professor Swain. On Tuesday we discussed our WSJ entry assignment, and it was really interesting to hear about the stories people chose to write about and what their thoughts were. We also watched a movie about Corporations, which put so many things in perspective for me and gave me a lot to think about regarding making changes for a more positive future. In Professor Swains class, we went through an assignment where we discussed ‘cultural profiles’ that we built for ourselves earlier in the week, which was also really cool because it gave me the chance to reflect on how I see myself as well as helped me get to know my classmates better. We also learned more about Italian culture and expectations, which was really interesting and I’m excited to learn more about it over the rest of the summer.

Whenever we have the time, my friends and I have been exploring Milan and a few other places nearby. On Thursday we took a day trip to Lake Como, which was absolutely beautiful. We walked around a street market and found some amazing food. Later, we took a tram up to the top of the mountain, where we got lost and accidentally ended up hiking in a forest, then rewarded ourselves with some gelato. That night, our RA Francesco cooked us a pasta dinner, which was so delicious. On Friday, we took a trip to Bologna with IES, where we took a walking tour of the beautiful city and learned a lot about its history which was so incredible. We also learned how to make handmade tortellini at a cooking school, which was so much fun. On Saturday, we went to Venice for the day, which was my favorite place we have been to so far. We walked around the narrow streets and found some really cute shops, took lots of photos by the bridges going across the canals, then ended the day with a gondola ride across the Grande Canal, which was the highlight of my trip so far. 

On Monday morning, I woke up, put on my business casual attire, and began my commute to work. To get to my internship I take the 15 bus which stops right outside of our apartment. Then, I transfer onto the 96 bus, which stops right outside of my office. My internship is at Phloema, an innovation consulting firm. I arrived at the office at 8:50, so I quickly walked to the cafe across the street to grab a croissant for breakfast. The croissant had a lemon cream filling. Then, I went back to the office and began to work. Dee and I sit in Marcello our sponsor’s office. We worked diligently and chatted with Marcello. At 1:00 pm the office closed for lunch break, which is typical in Italy. The office was closed until 2:00 pm. After 2:00 pm, Dee and I went to the IES abroad office to remotely finish the second half of the day. Since the Phloema office is small, Dean, Dee, and I alternate days in person in the office. I go into the office on Mondays and Wednesdays. This week, the office was closed on Wednesday afternoon because Thursday was a national holiday here in Italy. At work, I did market research on the Agri-tech industry and read through some scientific papers about a technology that Phloema is interested in working with. So far, I have really enjoyed my time at Phloema.

This week I spent a lot of time with my friends exploring Milan. Since it was our first weekend here, we decided to stay put. We did a lot of eating, shopping, and walking. We also went to the duomo at midnight and it was so beautiful.  On Wednesday morning, we went as a class to see the last supper. It was amazing. We had Thursday off this week for a national holiday, so we got to relax for the day and spend some quality time together. For dinner 10 of us went to Professor Gupta’s house for dinner. The dinner was so much fun, and we got to get to know each other a bit better and spend some quality time with Prof. Gupta outside of the classroom. This dinner was definitely a highlight of my trip abroad so far. On Friday, we left our apartment at 6:50 am to depart for Bologna. The Bologna trip was sponsored by IES, so most of the class went. We took the high-speed train which was so much fun. In Bologna, we saw a beautiful church and many towers. We all had lunch together at an amazing restaurant where we also handmade tortellini. We learned how to make pasta from scratch and shape the pasta by hand. After Bologna, we went straight to Rome. We arrived in Rome around 8:00 pm on Friday. We checked into an Airbnb and then went out to dinner. I had the best carbonara ever. Rome is absolutely stunning. It is by far one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I am astonished by the intricate and historic architecture that surrounds me. I am currently writing my blog from a cafe in Vatican City. After writing this, I will go into the Sistine chapel! This morning we went to the Trevi fountain.

So far, my classes have been really interesting. In Professor Gupta’s class, we spend our class time discussing corporate social responsibility. Our classes are discussion-based, usually about readings that we complete before class. Our class discussions also revolve around the news in the business world. Every week we post a reaction to an article in the Wall Street journal that we read. It has been really interesting to read my classmates’ reactions to their articles. In Professor Swain’s class, we discuss our internships and Italian culture. It is really important for us to reflect on the internship experience so that we can gain as much as possible from our time in Italy. Talking with Professor Swain has helped us understand the nuances of Italian culture better, and helps us be more efficient in the workplace. Our classes in Prof. Swain’s class are also discussion-based. It is a time when a lot of students ask questions about Italian culture so that we can do our best to immerse ourselves! So far I am having an amazing time in Milan, and can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer brings!

Now that I have been in Milan for almost two full weeks, I have been able to shift my focus from getting acclimated to my new environment, towards fully immersing myself in the program and culture. I have found Professor Gupta’s course on Corporate Social Responsibility an incredibly interesting topic that presents lots of intriguing questions surrounding how we treat Corporations, what standard we should hold them to, and how they are present in the inter-workings of our society. I found it particularly interesting to learn about how the makeup of a corporation (i.e. the amount of shareholders, composition of the Board of Directors) can have significant influence over holding management accountable for their decisions and the hiring and firing process of higher management. I look forward to getting into more depth within this course because the subject matter is extremely relevant to our society and impacts our every-day lives.

My first week at Gen-USA went smoothly and I have had a great learning experience so far. My first day nerves were immediately eased with how friendly and welcoming all the staff and interns were. I was very relieved to learn that all five of my fellow interns are American as well, so we are able to problem solve together. My boss promotes a community based work environment by treating all employees and interns to lunch every afternoon. We never discuss business at lunch, rather we get to know each other better and simply enjoy the meal. Most of my tasks this week have been doing research on Gen-USA’s clients and entering that information into excel documents. This presents some challenges as lots of their clients are from Italy and their information can only be found in Italian. This has forced me to learn more of the language and rely on some Italian speaking co-workers for assistance. The projects I am working on have taught me to become more proficient in Excel and I can’t wait to learn what next week has in store.

While not working and taking classes during the week, I have been able to utilize the ease of travel in Europe. Last weekend I traveled to Zurich, Switzerland. Zurich was only a three hour train ride from Milan, and seeing the beautiful lakes and mountains filled cows made the ride fly by. I was shocked to learn how drastically different Milan and Switzerland were given their close proximity to each other. For instance, in Zurich they use Franks for currency instead of Euro’s, speak a Swiss dialect of German, dress much more casually, and eat much more meat than in Italy. I was fascinated how two places only three hours apart could feel like they are on opposite sides of the world. This trip opened my eyes to just how culturally rich Europe is and I can’t wait to continue to learn and experience new cultures.

Academic Findings:

This week in Milan our class has dove deeper into Corporate Social Responsibility. We have discovered many new terms such as “Corporate Governance,” “poison pills,” “hostile takeovers,” and many more. I have learned a lot about how companies are regulated through the SEC and government as a whole. Furthermore, I found it interesting to see how different companies can vary with their leadership roles given the same criteria to meet legally. It is like people we all have two eyes, a nose, a mouth, yet we all look so different. Companies all follow certain rules put in place by the government, but find ways to differentiate their own style of management.

Italian Internship Progression:

It has been an unbelievable experience working with Phloema’s consulting team in Milan. Sanj, Dee, and I have been conducting market research where we will present initial findings this Wednesday at a staff dinner. We have been researching the current solutions to identifying and combating harmful pathogens in plants via artificial intelligence and algorithmic strategies. The company we are working with wants to see if there is a market in Europe for a new AI system to be made or if there are already enough competitors making it difficult to get their algorithm going. Beyond that, they want us to find any holes in competitors’ current solutions that they can do better or differently. 

Social and Cultural Immersion:

This week I traveled to Nice, France, which is a very nice town… It is a beautiful city on the southern coast of France about a five hour train ride from Milan. Me and a couple friends followed the Milanese tradition of going to the beach for their Republic Day celebration. It is really cool seeing cultural shifts even in short distances. Living in Pennsylvania I can drive five hours west and still be in Pennsylvania, but here driving five hours west everything from the food and language to the way people dress and greet you changes completely. It is an awesome opportunity to be exposed to so many different countries and cultures. French people have been the kindest towards Americans that I have experienced so far. The food is more exotic like snails and duck compared to Italian food. The part I like the least is finding stones on the beach in place of sand. It hurts to walk and lay by the ocean, but the people who live here bring water shoes and padded towels to avoid the hard stones.

This week in Milan has been very exciting, stressful, and an informative experience. First, the class with Prof. Gupta has been such a great learning experience. This week he taught us about corporate governance and how there is much more to it than what one might think a corporation is. Through lectures, videos, and readings, students develop a different perspective about how corporations run and their function in society today. I’ve felt I have learned much more about the business world in this past week than I ever did. I learned that corporations aren’t necessarily an entity, but they can be a person. The intentions of corporations vary especially compared to the past. Corporations before just wanted to make the most money and didn’t care about their impact on society. Now, companies have corporate social responsibilities and have changed some of their ways of functioning and how they operate their business. Additionally, I didn’t know how much of an impact shareholders can have on a business. I learned about the proxy process and I was shocked that depending on the company, shareholders could actually get rid of the current management or CEO. I found that to be very interesting. I look forward to expanding my knowledge on business ethics and corporate governance and how it applies to my generation as we are the future of society.

My internship experience has been wonderful. My supervisor has taught me a lot about their accounting methods and the different sectors they do within their company. So far I have worked on two different projects. The first was preparing a Register for a company which proves the accuracy of their monthly tax payments. The second was entering all the broker invoices for the past month. The reason why it was a little stressful at first was because it was all in Italian. The language barrier has been difficult at times but my supervisor has been very patient with me and understanding. Additionally, each assignment had a deadline so I had to work diligently and efficiently. To improve my performance, my supervisor gave me a lot of hints and formulas I could use in Excel to help me get through all the tasks quicker. So far I really enjoy what I have been doing and I’m excited to keep learning more about the company’s accounting principles and platforms they use as well as Excel functions.

This week, my class went to visit Leonardo da Vinci’s famous mural painting of The Last Supper which was an unbelievable experience. I was shocked to see how well preserved the artwork was given how it is hundreds of years old. Over the weekend, my friends and I visited Nice, France. The city is on the east coast of France and is right next to Monte Carlo. We went shopping, ate at multiple restaurants, and went to the beach for two days. I found it very interesting that the beach wasn’t sand but instead all pebbles and rocks. I definitely wasn’t used to the no sand beach but it was such a unique experience that I’d definitely recommend it to others.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper Mural

The beach of Nice, France

The Hotel we stayed at in Nice, France called  the Excelsior Nice Hotel

Corporate Social Responsibility has not been a course that I am normally used to. The topics we have been learning about are less concrete than material you may find in an accounting or finance class. The course is more fluid and allows us to think outside the box about real word issues relating to CSR. Although this style is different, it has been enjoyable to think about business is a new light. This past week, we viewed part of a documentary in class called “The Corporation “.  The video covered concepts about legal persons, externalities, and unethical CEOs. However, I found the marketing aspect to be the most interesting. They talked about how children are a crucial factor in their business practices due to “nagging”. The documentary stated that when children nag their parents for things like toys, food, or experiences such as Chuck E. Cheese, parents give in. They claim that when nagging occurs, purchases are more likely. I found this interesting due to how much these business may rely on those children’s behavior.

This past week at Circularity has been very laid back, as there was a holiday that cut the week short. On Monday, me and my internship coworkers were given assignments to that allowed us to use critical thinking skills in order to advance in our overall projects. Everyone in the office is always excited to see us, as we are still new and fresh to their work environment. However, I can tell that they are more comfortable with us in the office because new members are beginning to greet us every day. Although the commute is still tough and lengthy, I feel like it is definitely worth it. The space is beautiful, the people are genuine, and their mission is inspiring.

Standing out as an American still has not gotten much easier. I still feel like I am constantly being looked at for the way I look and talk. However, I feel like I am adapting to the culture quite nicely. I always make sure to present myself nicely with proper clothes and accessories when I leave my apartment. I have also almost perfected my commute to school and work without any assistance from google or a map. When my friends and I venture out for dinner, we make an effort to use the Italian menus and speak as articulate as possible. I think as each day passes by, I am feeling more comfortable and less anxious about being far away from home in a country that barely speaks English. Recently, I was also able to travel to Nice, France where I experienced some new culture shocks. The stereotype that French are mean, did ring some truth for me this weekend. Local business owners of clothing shops and food stores rolled their eyes at me as I began to ask them questions in English. I understand that I am a tourist in their country, but I did not expect to be looked at with such disgust. Despise the nasty looks and judgement, Nice was beautiful. The ocean was very clean and blue, yet I was surprised to see that the entire coast was made up of rocks. Since I am used to sand beaches, this was a little tough to get used to. It was extremely difficult to get in and out of the rough water walking on rocks, but it was still an enjoyable experience.

My second week studying abroad was extremely eventful and exiting! I started the week off with a beautiful daytrip to Lake Maggiore with some of the IES staff and fellow students (The one and only Professor Gupta and Mrs. G also joined us on this trip). This trip offered amazing views and stories about the Italian culture and architecture on each of the three islands we visited on Lake Maggiore. My favorite island of the three was the first one we visited. The first island offered amazing paths to walk on with breathtaking views and vibrant flowers and plants. I have no bad things to say about this trip as the weather was beautiful and everywhere you looked was gorgeous, along with the fact that you get a great workout from all of the walking!

Each morning I take a walk around Milan in search of a new café to enjoy a delicious cappuccino or espresso to get my day started before commuting to class and/or work for the day. I am definitely going to have a caffeine addiction once I finish the program, but I cannot help myself because each and every coffee tastes so good. As a part of one of our classes this week for our internship seminar, each member of the class went on a trip to see Leonardo DaVinci’s highly touted Last Supper painting. It was insightful to learn about and physically see a painting that I have heard so much about in art history courses.

Whenever there is free time the night scene in Milan is extremely fun. The other Lehigh students and I enjoy going to bars and restaurants around the city which is great for socializing and having a fun time. Knowing very little about the other Lehigh students when joining this program, I can say firsthand that it is not difficult to make new friends and coordinate trips and events whenever, wherever. This program has been especially great for stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things, whether that is trying new foods or hanging out with new people. Each of these opportunities has been eye opening and enjoyable… I plan to continue this trend throughout the rest of this trip and even life!

The course, Special Topics in Accounting and Business, very engaging and interesting as I have a genuine passion for the world of business and a variety of different concepts that apply to the real world. My favorite aspect of this course is our discussions about current events as they relate to business. These discussions stem from our continuous reading of the Wall Street Journal and Professor Gupta does an excellent job of facilitating conversations and bringing up relevant topics that relate heavily to the course. I learn something new and insightful each and every class!

In terms of my internship, I am collaborating with Will Kelly with a financial publishing company called EdiBeez. Currently, Will and I have worked on drafting articles and researching companies and their financial investments into a variety of sectors. Our manager, Stefania, has welcomed us to the company with open arms and has assisted us in learning about what her company does and how they operate. I am looking forward to the coming weeks and seeing what Stefania and EdiBeez has in store for us.