Summer Internship Series: Crystal, Priya and Vinatie

The summer is coming to an end and so are our internships! Therefore, this will be the last installment of the Summer Internships Series. Thank you to everyone who contributed, I hope you all enjoyed learning about what the Rutgers MBA Class of 2016 was up to this summer! For our last update, we've got Crystal Orr, Priya Shivkumar and Vinatie Pasricha talking about their experiences this summer. 

Crystal, a Marketing student, is working for HP in New Jersey...

"Hello everyone!! I am currently a MBA Global Marketing & Communications Intern at Hewlett Packard, working in the Financial Services (HPFS) business unit right here in New Jersey. I actually started in March and my internship is for a year, so I’ll still be here part time once the semester begins.

It’s an exciting time right now at HP as the company is going through a separation and will be split into two organizations in November. I am definitely here at a good time because I am getting the firsthand experience of going through a large transition at a top 20 company and involved in the process of implementing and communicating a new brand strategy (names, logos and messaging) to employees, customers and partners.

Currently, I work on various projects focusing on global internal communications and sales and colleague engagement. Some of my daily tasks include designing and creating content for our intranet pages, Yammer account (internal social media), and internal reference materials to support the sales team including separation information. I am also learning everyday about IT consumption and the financial aspect of technology for businesses and enterprises.  

I’ve had diverse and interesting experiences here thus far, ranging from volunteering for the Take your Kids to Work Day activities to donating blood for the first time to attending a Brooklyn Nets game.  One of my first major projects was actually coordinating the second annual HPFS mini golf tournament for philanthropy day with proceeds going to Room to Read. This was a fun experience as I love to plan events and got the opportunity to meet a lot of colleagues in the office.

Since, I will not have an official summer break prior to starting school again, I’m headed to New Orleans next week for a few days of fun! See you all soon!"

Priya, concentrating in Finance, writes from Madison, NJ...

"This summer I am interning with Quest Diagnostics in their Corporate Finance function. Within Finance, I am with the Revenue Recognition and Analytics team, which has a mix of both - Accounting and Finance. My team and other corporate functions are largely based out of Giralda farms in Madison, NJ, which is a beautiful location! My project over the summer was to develop analytical tools to evaluate the cash collected against the accounts receivables recorded for each of Quest's business units. 

Through the summer, various lunch and learns were organized for the interns where we got a chance to meet Executive Directors and VP's from different parts of finance. The CFO attend our final presentations earlier this week and it was really good to get so much face time with him over the summer. Glad to be done with my presentation even though my internship runs for 2 more weeks!  Over the summer, I also went on a lab tour (Quest's main lab is @Teterboro) and had a lunch and learn session with an ex-FBI guy who is now the head of Corporate security at Quest. Interesting experiences! 

There is a girl in my team who is an excellent baker and makes amazing stuff for birthday's and other events ..so all of us wait for someone's birthday to come up so that we get some home baked goodies! Everyone is really nice here and its been a wonderful summer. Look forward to wrapping up my project soon but will miss working once school starts! 

PS: And yes, there is a huge Rutgers contingent here at Quest." 

Vinatie, who is specializing in Marketing and Marketing Research Insights & Analytics, checks in from Iselin, NJ...

"This summer, I am interning at Ansell, the personal protective equipment company that makes gloves, condoms and clothing. The company is organized into four global business units – Industrial, Medical, Single Use and Sexual Wellness. I am working for the Single Use Global Business Unit as the Global Branding and Strategic Marcom Intern with the Global Marketing team. What makes this business unit exciting, is the fact that it was created just a year back as a result of an organizational restructure and the integration of Ansell with the recently acquired BarrierSafe Solutions International, Inc.

The object of my projects for the summer is to assist the team in product integration, portfolio optimization and create tools to elevate the expertise of the sales team. For my first project, I am assisting in the development of competitive positioning statements for all disposable gloves based on a newly created segmentation matrix. This will help them drive clearer differentiation and better integrate Ansell single-use products with BarrierSafe products. My second project is to develop a demo kit, which will allow our sales representatives to demonstrate how Ansell gloves perform better compared to competitor gloves. For this, I have been working closely with the R&D team and creative agency to design tests to demonstrate attributes such as ergonomics, enhanced grip, chemical resistance and puncture resistance.

It’s hard to believe that the internship is already coming to an end with just 2 weeks left! I have really enjoyed working with my team. The culture is extremely collaborative and transparent, which makes everyone in the organization very approachable.

For those who have been following the blog, you have already heard from Susan about the lunch & learns organized by HR. These weekly sessions have been a great way for us to meet senior executives and learn about the company and the business. Some of the exciting ones were with the CEO, CFO, President of the Single Use GBU and Head of Sales for NA. Last week, Ansell organized a day cruise around Staten Island for all employees. It was a refreshing change, a great way to experience the true company culture and network with everyone!"

Thanks to all for reading each week! And good luck to the Class of 2017, who will be starting Orientation this upcoming Monday. Can't believe we went through all that a year ago, time has flown by. I look forward to seeing everyone in less than a month! Enjoy the rest of your internships and rock those final presentations! 

Summer Internship Series: Susan, Laavanya and Jaclyn

And we're back! Hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend! I know a lot of people have reached or passed the halfway point, I can't believe it! This week we've got Susan Smith, Laavanya Shriram and Jaclyn Kirna talking about their internships...

Susan, concentrating in Finance and Supply Chain Management, writes from Iselin, NJ...

"Greetings from the distant land of Iselin, NJ, where I am interning in global financial planning and analysis at Ansell. Ansell makes personal protective equipment, such as gloves, suits, and condoms. They are a truly global company with operations in each of four regions: North America (NA), Latin America & Caribbean (LAC), Asia Pacific (APAC), and Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA).

So far, I have worked on some small tasks – collecting information on the manufacturing sector in different countries and on general economic conditions globally in order to predict and analyze the effect of global conditions on sales and creating bridge graphs for a presentation. I am also working to model sales forecasts and analyze growth with the complicating factor of acquisitions and the seasonal nature of the business. Remember Dr. Lei’s seasonal forecasting models? Well, I have been putting them to use! Most recently I have been collecting information on recent sales growth of competitors and distributors in order to see if the movement in manufacturing affects them in similar ways. 

It has been nice to meet interns from other schools, although there is a big Rutgers contingent. Go RU. Another plus is the lunch and learns that HR has set up for us. We met the Chief Human Resource Officer who gave us an overview of the company. We also met a brand manager and learned about a new product, both how it was developed and how a market is being created for it. The Director of IT gave us a view of how the IT department interacts with and supports the rest of the business. We will also be lunching and learning with a NA head of sales as well as the CEO."

Laavanya is concentrating in Supply Chain Management and Strategy and is working in Northvale, NJ...

"This summer, I am working for RAB Lighting, based out of Northvale, NJ. In little over a month, I have had 2 dinner parties, 7-9 cakes, and above all hands-on experience in various aspects of supply chain - procurement, inventory management, demand planning, new product development and logistics.

RAB is a third generation family owned U.S. company and the fastest growing company in New Jersey too. The company manufacturers and distributes commercial LED lighting. A year ago, the company began forming it's Supply Chain department and has been a growing team since. As a Supply Chain Intern, I am mainly focussing on demand forecasting & inventory management. I feel really lucky to have found this position as I am able to rotate in each team within the SC department, helping enhance/apply all that I have learnt via RBS. Also, the coolest thing, as the entire company located in one building, I literally walk through each process or department and see how they function. 

Be it working in excel to report KPI trends or applying OB concepts enabling change management during Lean events, I find learning is everywhere and summer is too short to fully absorb it. I hope to gather as much as I can here and hopefully define my career path. This is also my first experience working for a small company (well when compared to MNC's I earlier worked for) with strong culture. Today I can vouch that there is a thing named work culture fit. Though my colleagues are diverse and unique, because we all have similar ideologies it makes working together fun and easy. I feel much more confident in voicing my opinions or ideas. The entire company has a family kind of vibe, anyone can walk into any space (yep even CEO's office) without feeling awkward and have an open conversation about anything. 

On a personal front, thanks to a 30 mile commute, I finally bought a car and have been making the most of it. Our classmate, Meghana Talasila, also on the same team as me, is in the same boat. So we hangout a lot and cherish our Rutgers roots. We have been exploring some hidden hiking gems in the Tristate area. Anyone interested?"

Jaclyn is a Finance and Strategy student spending her summer working in NYC…

"This summer, I am interning in Commercial Finance at Pfizer Inc.’s World Headquarters located in midtown Manhattan.  During the 10-week internship, I am working on two teams: Global Commercial Operations and Accounts Receivable – Working Capital Initiatives. On Pfizer’s GCO team, I have been collaborating with leadership team members and Op. Plan leads to help prepare Pfizer’s 2016 Operating Plan and build a compensation model for GCO spend.  I am also assisting GCO leadership team members with reevaluating their monthly reporting, forecasting, and budgeting processes based on regional needs.  On the Accounts Receivable team, I assist with DSO (days sales outstanding) trending, reporting, and analysis and I help the team prepare and validate AR reporting packages.  During my time on both teams, I am working to improve the efficiency of Pfizer’s reporting processes.

I just finished week 6 of my internship and it’s hard to believe how fast it is flying by!  Pfizer’s internship program has given me a lot of exposure to senior executives through the various lunch & learns planned for the MBA summer associates.  This past Tuesday, we had a summer speaker session with Chairman of the Board & CEO, Ian Read.  He shared his career path as well as his perspective on transformational leadership and it was exciting that the interns had the opportunity to ask him questions at the end of the session. At Pfizer, the MBA interns also work on a live case study throughout the summer.  My team is comprised of 2 finance interns and a procurement intern.  In early August, we will be presenting our recommendation to our managers and senior executives in the company. Earlier this summer, Pfizer colleagues volunteered at Camp Sebago (a camp located outside of NYC for inner city children).  I spent the day cleaning up the campsite with colleagues from different Pfizer locations and it was fun to watch a dance routine that the children performed for us that afternoon.  We lucked out with good weather and the lake up there was beautiful!

It’s hard to believe that just a year ago, I was teaching 22 super energetic third graders.  It’s been a challenging yet exciting career change into the corporate world, but I’m really enjoying the experience.  The best part is that I’m working with people who love what they do and I’m learning something new every day!

After the internship, I have plans to travel to Houston, Texas for a wedding and then to Austin, Texas to visit some friends (and any of the Dell folks who will still be down there!).  As a Jersey native who loves the beach, the summer wouldn’t be complete without spending some time at the Jersey Shore!"

Thanks for checking in and keep reading each week! 

RBS Visits Russia - Spring Break 2015

During our Spring Break this past March, a group of Rutgers MBA students visited Russia as part of their Doing Business in Russia course. William Pollak, Full-time Class of 2015, is here to share his experience...

Students in front of Saint Basil's Cathedral in Red Square in Moscow, Russia

27 Rutgers MBA students answered the call of Doing Business in Russia, an elective class that includes academic study of the Russian socioeconomic climate, as well as a 10-day trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg.  I was one of the 5 full-time RBS students who attended, along with 22 flex students and 3 faculty members.   Professors Jeff Robinson and Alex Settles, who teach Entrepreneurship, Corporate Social Responsibility, and International Business at Rutgers, designed the trip’s itinerary, which included city tours, cultural attractions, and visits to businesses and startup incubators in Russia’s two most prominent cities.  We flew in to Moscow on March 12^th, and returned from St. Petersburg on March 22^nd, 2015. 

We spent our first days becoming acquainted with the historical and cultural sights in Moscow.  We toured the Kremlin, Red Square, St. Basil’s Cathedral and other landmarks, ate in restaurants suitable for royalty such as Turandot and Café Pushkin, and saw a ballet at the Bolshoi Theatre.  Moscow is a magnificent city that also has a night life to rival or surpass that of any major city in the world.  A night with more than 3 hours sleep was a rare occurrence on this trip.

Of immediate note was the importance of reading and speaking Russian.  English is not widely spoken in this city, and nearly all of the signs are written in Cyrillic.  Basic commerce is possible through hand gestures and a smile, though Muscovite retailers are less motivated than their American counterparts to engage with customers, particularly foreigners. 

After a few days of sightseeing, we visited the Higher School of Economics and listened to speakers from the Russian business world articulate their experiences doing business in Russia.  We also toured Startup October, an incubator connecting financiers with startup entrepreneurs, and learned about Moscow’s growing entrepreneurial culture.   Finally, we visited an industrial park which housed Oriflame, a Swedish cosmetics firm, as well as other tenants.  The industrial park generated its own power as opposed to connecting to the local power grid, which can be a prohibitively difficult task in Russia.  I was sad that Oriflame did not offer Swedish meatballs in their cafeteria.

An overnight train brought us to St. Petersburg on the 19^th.  St. Petersburg is the same latitude as Alaska, and has few sunny days throughout the year, though we were lucky enough to enjoy unseasonably warm weather.    We heard from consulate and state department officials who provided insider knowledge into how to protect our data and identity, as well as the secret, non-touristy spots to visit in St.  Petersburg.  We also spoke at length with business leaders such as the CEO of Subway in Russia, and a software developer for Oracle.  At night, we saw the Jenufa opera at the fabulous Mariinsky theatre.  I’m glad I packed my tuxedo.

Our last day in Russia did not disappoint.  We took a tour of the Hermitage, a palace converted into one of the largest museums of art in the world.  We saw original artwork by all of the masters, and took hundreds of pictures of paintings and sculptures.  No amount of time seems sufficient to soak in all of the art at the Hermitage.  For lunch, we followed the state department employee’s advice and found a secret Indian restaurant in the heart of St. Petersburg modeled after a prohibition-era speakeasy.  The entrance was located behind a secret passage in a bookstore, and inside they served cocktails made up of their own special blends of alcohol.  This was the best meal I ate in Russia, even though Beef Stroganoff was not involved. 

It is truly hard to capture in words how rewarding this trip was.  We explored two of the greatest cities in one of the largest and most misunderstood nations in the world.   We also experienced Russian academic and business culture, and learned about the similarities and differences which make Russia an intriguing but challenging place to do business.  I hope to go back again soon.

Visiting the Oriflame Distribution Center in Moscow

Enjoying the sights in St. Petersburg

Attending the Hamlet Ballet at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow

William at the World War II Museum in Moscow

William Pollak is finishing up his 2nd year in the full-time RBS MBA program. He is a fellow of the Rutgers Center for Supply Chain Management and former treasurer of the Student Government Association. After graduation, he will begin his career in Inventory Control Strategy with Dell in Austin, Texas. 

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: Dr. Ramon Henson

Professor Ramon (Ray) Henson is an organization and management consultant with over 25 years of global experience working in senior positions with various Fortune 500 companies, including Merck & Co., Avon Products, Merrill Lynch and Citigroup.  He currently heads Henson Consulting International, is a Consulting Partner with Organisation Solutions (Singapore), and is a member of the consulting team of the Center for Organizational Design (United States).  

 At Rutgers Business School, Professor Henson teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in Organizational Behavior, Human Resource Management, Executive Leadership, Cross-Cultural Management, Team Development, International Business, Global Management Strategy, and Strategic Management.  He is also on the faculty of the RBS International Executive MBA Program, where he travels overseas (China, Singapore) to teach. 

Not only is Professor Henson a dedicated teacher, but he is also an avid blogger. His blog was recently ranked by OnlineMBA.com as one of the top 50 business blogs by business professors.

Advice on Developing a Global Mindset

So you have heard that many multinational firms today want their new hires and managers to have a global mindset.  Yes, you say to yourself, that makes sense, since many firms today do business around the world, sell products globally, and have employees from different regions. 

But you are not sure what having a global mindset means.  You have a passport, and you have traveled overseas.  Perhaps you are a second-generation American, whose parents immigrated to the United States.  Or perhaps you came from overseas to study at RBS.  You have taken courses in international business and global strategy, and you have friends from different parts of the world.  You are familiar with the business issues that multinationals face when they do business in different countries, and you are aware of some of the cross-cultural challenges that these businesses face when they try to implement their policies and practices in different countries.  Does that mean that you have a global mindset?

There are two words that I have converted to acronyms that I’d like you to remember.  The first is FACE.  Global mindset is a mental attitude, an inclination.  It is not a behavior, but it should predict behavior.  In my own experience and interviews with executives and students, I would say there are four components to global mindset you can easily remember with the acronym FACE:  Flexibility, Acceptance/Openness, Curiosity, and Cross-Cultural Empathy.  So having a global mindset means that when you interact or work with people from different cultures, you need to: be flexible; learn to accept different points of view and to be open about them; be curious about other cultures; and develop empathy by trying to put yourself in the other person’s shoes.

If these are the four orientations to having a global mindset, what can you do practically to develop it?  The second word I’d like you to remember is the acronym ROPE, which stands for Reading, Observing, Practicing, and Experiencing. 

First, reading.  Yes, you can read randomly and surf the internet to learn about other cultures and global issues, but it’s better to be focused.  Pick a country or two you are interested in (for example, countries of the colleagues or customers you are interacting with), and spend at least 15 minutes daily learning more about that country – its politics, its business environment, its history, its people, what consumers in that country are like, and what it’s like to do business in that country. 

Second, observe.  No, you don’t have to be a voyeur or an eavesdropper.  But when you are watching a foreign movie, or are observing people from other cultures talk or interact, step back and pay attention especially to the non-verbals – their body language, their use of personal space, the tone and manner of speech.  Another suggestion is to observe the interactions during meetings with global teams or with people from different cultures.  Find someone to help you “de-brief” these meetings, especially around the group dynamics and interactions, to get a better understanding of how people communicate cross-culturally.

Third, practice.  Here’s a suggestion.  When you enter a classroom for a new course, do you tend to look for a familiar face and then instantly sit down beside that person?  Next time, look for a person you don’t know, even someone who you think may be from another culture, and introduce yourself.  After establishing rapport and gauging the person’s comfort level, ask questions about his or her country in a general way (e.g., “What’s the weather like this time of year?”).  More often than not, that person will appreciate your interest and you will be able to make a connection and build a relationship.

Fourth, experience.  Break up your routine and get out of your comfort zone once in a while.  There are a lot of different ways you can do this.  For example, when at a restaurant, order a dish that you have never had before.  Or better still, go to places that offer a different type of food than what you are used to.  Once in a while, take a different route in your commute.  Once a week, leave your mobile phone at home.  The point of these small changes to your habits will be to help you expand the range of your comfort zone so you can become more adept at “going with the flow” in the future.

The bottom line - global mindset is about having an attitude of eagerness, curiosity, learning and openness about different cultures and the people from those cultures.  Of course it helps if you are well traveled.  But I know people who travel to different countries and only stay at American hotels, eat only American food, and hang out only with other Americans (you can replace “American” with whatever your nationality or cultural identity might be).

As it turns out, your RBS colleagues have an intuitive idea of global mindset, as you probably do also.  From my classes, here are some of their replies to the question of what global mindset means to them:

 “Global mindset means that you are aware of your environment, of others and the impact of ideas and events in your business, strategy or position.”

“Taking a more macro look at things … understanding that things won’t work the same all over the world, and taking that into account.”

“Having an understanding that countries have different cultures, and going into each country, one must always be aware and sensitive to that country’s cultural ways.”

 “Someone who understands or has an open mind to understand different cultures and how these affect the outcomes of decisions.”

“Putting yourself in the other culture’s shoes.”

“Listening and resisting reflexive judgments.”

“Your way is not always the right way.”

“Understanding that different countries/cultures have different ways of doing things.  They value certain things differently.  A global mindset has to take all of that into consideration and be open-minded and willing to compromise.” 

For further reading, here are five highly recommended books:

          

Charan, R.  (2013)  Global Tilt.  Crown Business.  

Gundling, E.  (2003)  Working GlobeSmart.  Nicholas Brearley Publishing.

Nisbett, R.  (2004)  The Geography of Thought.  The Free Press.

Reid, T. R.  (2000)  Confucius Lives Next Door.  Vintage.

Morrison, T. and Conaway, W.  (2006)  Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands.  Adams Media.

For more wisdom on Global Management, visit Professor Henson’s blog: 

http://hensonconsultinginternational.blogspot.com