Summer in Paris

Summer in Paris hits the city hard and swift. Our move to Cite U at the start of July coincided with the first heatwave of summer, so the air-conditioned luxury of our former hotel was sorely missed. It was a challenge to dress presentably for work in 36-degree heat, but as some coworkers showed up in shorts on these days, that was our cue to follow suit! Unfortunately the typical, century-old Haussmannian buildings that house most offices in the central districts are not equipped with modern conveniences like air-conditioning.

One of our favourite Sciences Po lectures to-date has been one on ‘The History of France through Paris landmarks’. Here we learnt how the city was first founded over 2,000 years ago in an area presently known as the Latin Quarter, the significance of the Louvre, Tuileries and Versailles as palaces, the relationship between the taxation system and socio-economic situation of its various residents, and present day renewal plans to expand beyond its borders in the ‘Le Grand Paris’ urban project.

Equally as interesting were a series of lectures on European identity issues, both past and present. Topics such as migration, security, solidarity and leadership opened our eyes to the multilayered complexities of the evolving European identity and its implications for existing and future member states.

So after all of this cultural education, some of us decided to kick off the weekend by watching a show at the Moulin Rouge. It was a spectacular performance filled with breathtaking acrobatics and the compact, big-top setting made the experience all the more intimate as we sat around dinner tables and mingled with people from all over the world. It reminded me of our lecture on identity issues and what it means to the French people, since this show clearly capitalised on its unique place in Parisian history. Photos were not allowed during the show for copyright reasons, but I can tell you there was a huge pool of water, python snakes and rollerskates!

Last weekend saw our entire class being treated to a day off work to attend a study trip to Brussels to learn about the EU Parliament. Coincidentally, Friday marked the start of the Bastille Day long weekend, so excitement levels were high as we would head off to other destinations (Amsterdam, Bruges and Aix-en-Provence) following the class trip. The EU institution buildings were quiet that day as EU officials and heads of state were scheduled to meet in Strasbourg instead - we were devastated about our missed opportunity to see Merkel, Tsipras, Hollande etc.! The parliamentarian role play game was interesting as was Brussels as a tourist destination. Thinking it would be a ‘European’ Canberra, the city surprised us with its fair share of tourist drawcards, from its official buildings, historic architecture, public parks, to a bustling town square serving up the must-try diet of Belgian fries, waffles and beer (though not all at once).

Finally, Bastille Day arrived. Being the conscientious students that we are, the morning was spent completing as much of our upcoming assessments as possible before heading to the supermarket to shop for our picnic on the Champ des Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower. We successfully secured a prime spot and spent almost 7 hours entertaining ourselves before the fireworks started at 11pm. Surprisingly, the crowds were not as severe as those during New Year’s Eve in Sydney, but perhaps it was an indication of how much larger Paris is as a city.

With just over two more weeks of the IPP left, it's time to power through all the touristy things on our to-do list!

Farah Tan
Current student at the University of Sydney Business School and participant in the International Placement Program in Paris, France 

Green to the core: sustainability based strategy

People from all backgrounds, from end consumers to business strategists, are driving – and grappling with – changing expectations about sustainability in business. Organisations are facing pressure to serve today’s conscious consumer, while achieving more ambitious business outcomes. At the recent “Green at the core” sustainability panel discussion hosted by the Master of Management Society, panellists from the areas of consumer goods, sustainability leadership, strategy and ethical consumption discussed whether both of these goals could be pursued concurrently in a meaningful way.

The audience, mostly Master of Management and Master of Management (CEMS) students, represented another part of the fray: a young, ambitious workforce, more empowered than ever, and seeking strategies to affect change within their workplaces and the world more broadly.
 
The four distinguished panellists provided insights into current sustainability business trends and gave the audience direction and tips on how to affect change within their own workplaces. The panellists included:

• Scott Matyus-Flynn, Head of Strategy,  Republic of Everyone, an award-winning sustainability consultancy and PR agency 
• Gordon Renouf, CEO, Good on You, an ethical fashion destination bringing transparency and empowerment to the consumer and letting you shop your values, and Co-Founder, Ethical Consumers Australia, a social NFP which makes it easier for people to make consumer choices that match their values
• Kate Harris, CEO, Centre for Sustainability Leadership, a NFP which offers leadership development to educate clients on conducting business in a sustainable way
• Paul Connell, Business Unit Leader (Homecare), Unilever, the world’s third largest consumer goods company

The success of any CSR or sustainability strategy, Paul argued, requires serious commitment from top leadership. The public commitment of Unilever’s global CEO (Paul Polman) to the company’s sustainability-centred business model, which pledges a 50% reduction in environmental footprint by 2020, is a fundamental reason for its successful adoption across the company globally. “When you tell people to double revenue and halve environmental impact, it forces massive innovation…We’ve seen significant drops in can size and increases in detergent concentration, for example.”

The idea of ‘greenwashing’ was raised, a phenomenon whereby companies market their products as ‘natural’ or ‘sustainable’, sometimes spending more money on communicating their sustainability achievements than actually reducing their environmental footprint. Paul highlighted that this trend was under fire from increasing consumer awareness and knowledge. Companies like RoE were at the front lines of this movement, guiding companies in building transformative sustainability strategies but also in communicating them in an appropriate way, both internally and externally.

Nevertheless, as Kate suggested, too many companies are overlooking sustainability because they have done their ‘bit’, perhaps in the belief that embedding a degree of sustainability exempts them from striving for bigger goals.

Ultimately, the panel agreed, it is far more effective for companies to ‘clean up their act’ than to invest in rebranding to greenwash their image to the public. If for no other reason, the internet’s democratisation of information simply makes the alternative too risky.

That is what Gordon’s startup, Good on You, aims to achieve. Having recently launched an app and crowd funding campaign to make ‘on the go’ ethical shopping easier, Good on You rates fashion and beauty brands for their ethical and environmental soundness. While consumers are complex and varied, a major barrier to ethical consumption behaviour is poor or misleading information, which Good on You hopes to address. Another challenge is the existence of a “green gap” between consumers’ intentions and their decision. Panellists believed this gap could be bridged by improving consumer education, having values-based conversations and presenting clearer business cases for investing in sustainability.

Resonating with Kate, she added that there is now a move towards engaging with stakeholders and not just shareholders. A practical example was in the issue of waste, where reducing waste not only had a net positive environmental benefit, but also reduced costs which could be passed down to the consumer. Providing a business case for sustainability, and being able to articulate it to the relevant stakeholders, was seen as just as essential a skill for new graduates as knowing the key principles of sustainability.

Kate’s work at the Centre for Sustainability Leadership was bridging the knowledge divide in the workplace by “getting people who care into positions of power”. Similarly, Gordon’s work at Ethical Consumers Australia involves empowering end consumers to make more sustainable decisions. The panel agreed that the onus was not only on consumers to make more sustainable decisions, but also on corporations to make that choice easier for us.

The question of Australia’s sustainability sector and attitudes towards sustainable consumption compared to the rest of the world drew impassioned responses from the panel, who mostly agreed that Australia’s political and economic orientation was lagging behind that of Europe and Asia, regions that are largely “getting on with” sustainability. Nonetheless, Australia’s green building industry and grassroots movements were highlighted as definitive strengths.

The panellists, as industry leaders, did an exceptional job at breaking down a complex issue and making it relevant to future business leaders in the audience.

Patrick Nguyen
Current student at the University of Sydney Business School

Why leadership prevails over your WAM

The moment you sit in your first graduation job interview, your potential employer isn’t looking at your WAM or your academic achievements. They’re looking for an entrepreneurial character to help grow their business. That’s why when you see them clicking their pens or not writing anything down, it’s a cue to move on. Tell them explicitly what makes you different.

How?

Leadership. It is the most employable skill, as leadership experiences can’t be solely studied.

So what exactly is WAM?

WAM:
Weighted Average Mark; a non-experience based numerical assessment of work ethic assigned to all enrolled students.

To an employer, it can tell them how much of a high-achiever you may be. They wouldn’t know if you’ve crammed content the night before. Or how many all nighters you’ve pulled thus far. Let’s be frank: it’s just a number. Like ATAR. It does not encompass you as a character.

So why leadership?

Communication
First impressions count. It gets your foot in the door.  How one presents themself as self-aware through communication differentiates them from the rest of the graduate employment market. They’re looking for people who will make the best fit for their workplace. Someone who can communicate their ideas clearly and confidently.

Initiative
Unless you’re superhuman, you’re probably not going to start off your first graduate job as the perfect worker. Your employer knows that. That’s why initiative is desirable. They will be asking themselves, “Is this candidate willing to challenge themself and learn new things?” When people see you with initiative, they see you as someone who can take charge and be dependable. Only through a self-development mindset can you experience true professional growth. After all, experience cannot be studied.

Teamwork
Regardless of the field, teamwork is the definitive quality of a desirable employee. It doesn’t matter how good you are on paper. Selflessness is good teamwork. A realisation of collective aspirations beyond one’s self and working to common ends is what employers can’t do without. Think of it as nailing the theoretical components. Only achieving on a theoretical level is not as pleasing as an individual with practical experience.

Networking
Harnessing opportunities to ascertain your future pathway remains in and out of the connections you foster and maintain. Building bridges with not only professionals, but also students from diverse backgrounds and experiences canvasses a network for future collaboration and impact. Glue yourself to a suite of possibilities with extensive networks. It’ll land you jobs deemed to be out of reach.

AIESEC: Your Gateway to Leadership
AIESEC is the largest student run organisation in the world, facilitating students with volunteering and internship exchanges in over 125 partnered countries since 1948.

From Kofi Annan (Former Secretary General of the UN) to Neil Janin (Global Director, McKinsey and Co.), participants of the Global Leader program have paved new pathways for communities, businesses and lives around the world.

AIESEC spearheads its members into an immersive environment with developmental space to enhance practical skills in areas such as business development, marketing, finance and human resources. 

So why leadership over WAM?
Employers don’t reduce the company's future to a number. They will find value in your capacity to impact as an innovative leader.

Be prepared the next time you head in for an interview. Loosen your grip on the inky CV. An interviewer seeks experience prepared by the opportunities you seize here and now. All the doors close itself eventually. Initiate the start to your future, work with potentially prominent figures of the world and expand your network.

Good luck.

Solenna Fu
Current student at the University of Sydney and Public Relations Officer, AIESEC Sydney