Newsletter of
the Washington College Department of Business Management | Spring
2001
The
global classroom: international internships
This
past year a new internship award was established at Washington College
in honor of College trustee William B. Johnson '40. The award, whose endowment
by Johnson's children (Benjamin and Kirk Johnson and Kathleen Johnson
Browning) was matched by the Hodson Trust, makes it possible for Washington
College students to experience real-world business internship opportunities
they could not otherwise afford.
One of this year's first two students to win a Johnson Business Internship
Award was junior Anita Palac (pronounced PAHL-ahtz). Anita was born in
Croatia and has also lived in Austria, Italy, England, Switzerland and
now the United States. She is fluent in English, German, Italian and Croatian.
Anita, a double-major in business management and economics, is a Dean's
List student and a member of the Society of Junior Fellows (SJF). She
is interested in a career in international business, and hopes to do SJF-funded
research on international finance in London next year. Last summer Anita
interned at a major Austrian manufacturer. She talks about the experiences
made possible by the Johnson Internship Award.
In summer 2000 I had a chance to learn firsthand how it feels to do business
in Europe. For two months I interned at Glasmaschinen Gsmb, a leading
European manufacturer of glass products. Glasmaschinen, based in Klagenfurt,
Austria, produces a wide range of glass products and dominates the European
market for glass used in solar energy applications. My internship exposed
me to many different parts of Glasmaschinen's operations and management.
After two years at Washington College I've become familiar with what one
could call the American approach to work—lack of job security, an
emphasis on individualism, long and intense work hours, and the willingness
to pay top dollar for outstanding performance. It was interesting to see
a different work culture in Austria. The Austrians I met and worked with
were as friendly and generous as the Americans I've met, but they had
a different view of work. It's usual in Europe for there to be a set workday
that almost everyone follows. Not many people stay in the office past
4 pm. Lunch can last from one to even two hours, because Europeans see
eating as an important part of their culture, and expect to have the time
to enjoy a meal. By contrast, my friends who've recently graduated from
Washington College keep telling me the same story about their new jobs—long
hours, staying late, rushing through lunch, and ongoing pressure to finish
one assignment after another. Of course they also report big pay raises
if they perform, something that is not so pronounced in Europe.
There's also much more job security in Europe than in the U.S. My supervisor
in Klagenfurt told me a story about a friend of his who worked for a well-known
consulting firm in the United States for twenty-five years. He had been
successful and highly paid, but new management came in and decided he
wasn't needed, and fired him. That kind of thing doesn't happen much in
Europe because of strong unions, laws that make firing expensive and difficult,
and a culture that disapproves of such things.
Not surprisingly, the unemployment rate in Europe is much higher in Europe
than in the U.S.—European firms realize that if they hire someone,
they're likely to be stuck with him or her no matter what. Thus if you're
looking for a job, personal connections matter more in Europe than in
the U.S., I think. Internships are not as common as they are in the United
States, so it's even harder to get a foot in the door. Given the difficulties
in getting rid of workers, this emphasis on personal connections makes
some sense.
Individualism is one of the most striking factors of working culture in
America. In Europe it is also significant, but there's also a lot of bureaucracy.
At Glasmaschinen, every time I needed some information or a form signed
I would have to go through so many people that by the end the information
had lost its value or I'd gotten annoyed by the whole process.
It's impossible to say whether the European or American approach to work
is "better." Both have their good and bad sides. The important
thing, I think, is to recognize and be familiar with differences like
these when entering the business world. The advance of globalization means
that there's really no local business anymore—all businesses are
really global businesses, even if they don't know it yet. Thus if you're
interested in a career in business you should try to learn firsthand some
of the differences—and similarities—between different cultures.
And you should go and share what you learn with others, because teaching
is an important part of your own education. Once you've been exposed to
some of the different values about work and life in different cultures
around the globe, it'll be easier for you to relate to and work with different
kinds of people, and you'll have a deeper understanding of business itself.
For me, the Johnson Internship—like my whole education at Washington
College—has been a priceless experience. For more information on
the Johnson Internship award, contact professors Terry Scout (terrence.scout
@washcoll.edu) or Michael Harvey (michael.harvey @washcoll.edu). If you'd
like to interview Anita Palac about a job after she graduates, get in
line.