Internship Report
Jirappapha Naorungroj
Internship Report on Mitsubishi Corporation
25 August - 12 September 2014
During the summer break, one of my classmates and I were given an opportunity to intern at CSR and Environmental Affairs Department, Mitsubishi Corporation. Since it was my first time ever participating in an internship program, I was very nervous, but at the same time I was looking forward to see what I would learn from this rare internship opportunity in one of the biggest companies in Japan.
The program started with a series of introduction to the company and business groups for us to see the big picture how the company and each of the business groups operate. Following the presentations of how the company is “responsible” to the society via doing business by persons in charge, we had many rounds of educational discussions of actual cases, both in the past and present. After that, we were assigned to do a group research on food security, especially on business actions to tackle this problem and ways business can contribute to maintaining sustainable food sources.
Furthermore, my classmate and I were granted with a wonderful opportunity to attend a two-day international conference on CSR and risk management held by the Caux Round Table Japan. It was an excellent chance to expand my knowledge about ongoing global issues (e.g. children rights, labor rights, the food-water-energy nexus, etc.) and exposed myself to new innovative ideas of how the business should act as one of the crucial forces in resolving these issues. Inspired by the conference, we then started another research project on human rights issues in supply chains and business’ commitment in the United Nations Global Compact with the case of Thai fishing industry as a central case study.
I enjoyed my time at Mitsubishi Corporation so much that I felt everyday went by too quickly. During the internship here, I have learned a lot about global issues facing businesses and mankind in general (some of those I have never paid attention to or was not even aware of before) from my supervisor and his colleagues, who are all very knowledgeable and are so kind to share their insights with us. I am also grateful that the staff took their valuable time to join us at lunches and introduced us to great restaurants around the office area.
Joining this internship program had been more than productive as it sparked my interest in environmental, labor, and other important global issues that entangle as much with business operations as with our everyday lives. What I have gained from interning at Mitsubishi Corporation is beyond a sneak peek into how Japanese businesses work and approaches CSR activities. The whole experience had been very educational, inspiring, and is certainly invaluable to be able to learn about global issues from the business sector’s point of view.
