... the Journey Continues

Although I have not seen one for quite a while, I definitely remember the commercials. BASF is the company I will be working for over the next 11 weeks on a consultancy assignment. They are a very large German chemical company, with the catchy tag line: "The Chemical Company"... and I have no idea what the acronym stands for. Correction: BASF used to stand for Badische Anilin und Soda Fabrik, which reflected where it was founded and what it produced back when it was founded in 1865. Now it is 'just' a trademark. They're not just a large German chemical company, but in fact the largest chemical company in the world. The Ludwigshafen headquarters alone is three times the size of Monaco and uses the same amount of electricity as Denmark does in a year.

The placement process was based on my resume and the essays I wrote as part of my application to the Internship program. Beyond a short project description, I dont know too much about what I will be doing at this point. The idea is that I will be constructing a "strategic recommendation addressing the market for energy efficiency in buildings in Scandinavia". More broadly they want to determine their "optimal positioning in the energy efficiency market in order to achieve sustainable growth in the region". My experience as a GTA in the carbon footprint analysis course last year at PSU along with my background in residential construction and my interest/familiarity with green building, all inevitably lent to my placement on this project. This should nicely parallel my quest to somehow get involved with the climate conference here in December.

I will meet with my CBS adviser tomorrow, then with my company supervisor next week to fill in the details of the assignment and to get started. While I anticipated working for a small Danish start-up company, I am nonetheless very excited for the experience and the opportunity for exposure to the inner workings of a large multi-national corporation. While many MBA students enter with a track record of structured corporate work under their belt, my path has been one of an industrious entrepreneur, with only a fringe understanding of "big business".

One of the basic concepts alluring me to pursue an MBA was to gain an understanding of the societal power allocated to big business, not as a power monger but rather as an advocate of rethinking the status quo. Now I have the chance to finally see first hand how the machine works a bit, and I believe that understanding will provide a valuable perspective where ever my path leads. Also, I am looking forward to the learning about the cultural intricacies of the business environment in Denmark.

Although I bring a healthy level of skepticism to the table, of a giant chemical companies intentions being in the best interest of a truly sustainable human future, I am genuinely looking forward to the specifics of the assignment and the opportunity to gain new perspectives and learn. . Despite my leery skepticism of the inherent good of global mega business, I plan on exceeding expectations and am quite excited to begin! ... and the journey continues.