It’s bittersweet to be writing my last blog about my month long adventures in Europe, but as the old saying goes ‘it’s not a goodbye… it’s a see you later.’ Therefore, while I may not be writing any more blogs in the near future, I do plan to upload blogs the next time I find myself in Europe. Before I say ‘see you later’ though I did get the wonderful opportunity to hear from my fellow classmates today as they gave their final presentations. I thought everyone did very well giving their presentations and trying to make it both interactive and discussion based. The two presentations that stood out to me the most was Morgan’s on Green Marketing and Alex’s on Supply Chain Management.
During Morgan’s presentation, I learned that Green Marketing refers to the process of selling products and/or services based on their environmental benefits. Such a product or service may be environmentally friendly in itself or produced in an environmentally friendly way, such as being manufactured in a sustainable fashion. I also learned about Greenwashing which is the practice of making an unsubstantiated or misleading claim about the environmental benefits of a product, service, technology or company practice.
During Alex’s presentation, I learned that supply chain management is the management of the flow of goods and services and includes all processes that transform raw materials into final products. It involves the active streamlining of a business’s supply-side activities to maximize customer value and gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. SCM represents an effort by suppliers to develop and implement supply chains that are as efficient and economical as possible. They cover everything from production to product development to the information systems needed to direct these undertakings. Additionally, I learned that companies and consumers can be categorized as either tier 1, tier 2, or tier 3. Tier 1 suppliers supply the main company (i.e, an original equipment manufacturer), Tier 2 suppliers supply Tier 1 suppliers, Tier 3 suppliers supply Tier 2, and so on throughout the supply chain.
What I Learned From My Friends And Travel Companions
I learned that Julian not only likes his ‘pickings’ of food at the table and could very well eat a four-course meal six times a day but also is the kind of person that genuinely wants to know how you are doing. He is someone who will stop whatever he is doing in the moment and take the time out of his day to lend a helping had to someone in need. Whether you need a friend to talk to or you simply don’t want to walk (or bike) alone, Julian is the person who will stay behind to make sure that you are okay. I also learned that Allie and I share many of the same political views and interest in regards to gender equality, equal pay, LGBTQ+ rights, etc. and MC, Sara and I share the same interest in reading historical fiction, fantasy, thriller, and romance novels. Lastly, I learned that Morgan and I have the same love for travel. Both of us have travelled out of the country multiple times with plans to travel even more.
On my weekend trips I got the great fortune to meet people from all over the world. During my stay in Luxembourg my Airbnb co-host, Axel was from Dunkirk, France, my roommates in Amsterdam were from Liverpool, England; London, England, and Galway, Ireland, and my roommates in Munich were from Melbourne, Australia; Hamburg, Germany; and Warsaw, Poland.
The Kind Of Leader I Want To Be
I would want to be the kind of leader that focuses on growth and sustainability for my individual team members. I want to be charismatic, focused on development and coaching, and committed to fostering strong relationships for the betterment of the organization. I would also want to be willing to use myself as an example, showing my team how to be vulnerable to grow their skill sets and reach specific goals.
Following this incredible experience, I feel that I will be able to bring interpersonal and intercultural skills into the workforce along with a more global perspective on Environmental Law and Sustainability and Global Corporate Leadership. In today’s globalized workplace, my experience abroad will enable me to more effectively solve problems and interact and relate with people from different cultural backgrounds.
Royal Dutch Shell
At lunch, Caroline told us about Royal Dutch Shell and its CEO Ben van Beurden. During her presentation, I learned that Shell is a British-Dutch oil and gas company that is actually headquartered in the Netherlands and incorporated in the United Kingdom. As a big company that supplies around 3% of the energy the world uses, they want to play their part and contribute to the global effort to tackle climate change and meet the goal of the Paris Agreement by working towards generating a net carbon footprint. They intend to cut the carbon intensity of the energy products they sell thus generating fewer greenhouse gases emissions on average with each unit of energy they sell – by around 20% by 2035 and by around half by 2050. This also includes all the emissions from the life cycle of each of their energy products: from production to processing, to transportation and through to final use.
Sarah's European Voyage 