Even after only a short time in Italy, I can already tell that this global business program will be one of my most memorable and amazing experiences that I will have. It has been so incredible to experience the country of Italy and make new friendships. We began our journey in Rome and are currently living in Florence. We have seen Italian culture firsthand while also learning about the difficulties of doing business internationally. So far, our classes and company visits have shown a lot of the different ways in which business practices vary across different parts of the world, especially when it comes to relationships, marketing, and the significance of tradition that Italian culture has. One of the major highlights of the trip has been meeting with our assigned companies and the owners of the businesses. Each company gives different viewpoints, strengths, and weaknesses, while also being able to talk about the value of sustainability, quality, and tradition within their company. Seeing how Italian companies have a good balance between relationship and work has been refreshing. Culturally, the U.S. and Italy have many significant differences in both daily life and the workplace. In Italy, business encounters feel more intimate and connection, trust, and family are clearly their high values. There is a slower pace of life in Florence and in the business realm. They prefer to take their time and not rush throughout their day. People genuinely interact with one another, talk about family, and enjoy their meals. On the other hand, American society feels more individualistic and fast-paced, not caring as much about personal relationships in the workplace and trying to do everything as quickly as possible. Through this program, I’m hoping to learn more about how cultural values affect corporate strategy. I am very excited to continue working with the owner of our company and hear his feedback on how we tackled the Italian business world. I am also excited to experience more of the Italian culture and see all of the amazing architecture and historical buildings.
