Embracing Sustainability and Luxury: Sia Yu's Journey of Discovery and Internship Experience

Xi (Sia) Yu , a management master's student at Universit?t Mannheim , hailing from China, shares her valuable insights on her internship experience and research journey in sustainability and luxury, shedding light on the intersection of these two seemingly contrasting concepts.

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Q: First of all, how long have you been working at our company?

A: I started in September last year, so it's been around eight months. Overall, it's been a good working experience and fulfills my goal of the internship. I wanted to understand more about sustainability from the perspective of business operations and what the department is doing in the company.

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Q: What is your overall impression of the internship experience?

A: Since my academic background is not directly related to environmental studies but rather business administration, I wanted to explore sustainability management in practice. During my time at school, I’ve already come across various related topics and taken relevant courses. Throughout the internship, I gained a deeper understanding of sustainability from diverse perspectives, including company strategy, product life cycle management, sustainability reporting and rating, carbon offset, and other operational aspects. It has been particularly insightful regarding sustainable development issues in the automotive industry. As I didn't have a background in the automotive sector before, it was a completely new and interesting knowledge domain for me.

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Q: Speaking of sustainability, do you think you will pursue a similar path after graduation? Has this experience had a significant impact on shaping your career?

A: My current intention is to do so. However, sustainability encompasses diverse aspects within a company, such as operation, human resources, product development, process optimization, non-financial reporting, marketing, etc. It also touches upon a wide range of industries and drives social innovation. Therefore, I haven't specifically decided which area to focus on yet. It also depends on future opportunities and the specific roles available. Nonetheless, I believe this internship has provided me with a clearer direction for my future career, one that is closely related to sustainable development.

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Q: How did you come up with the idea of doing your graduation thesis here? What is the topic of your thesis?

A: As I mentioned earlier, I have already been exposed to the topic of sustainable development during my studies. I have conducted some research on sustainability marketing and social entrepreneurship and wanted to focus on a similar topic for my master’s thesis. During the interview for this internship, I asked Jan Parakenings if there would be an opportunity to work on a relevant topic and write my thesis with the company. He was very supportive of the idea. Throughout the internship, I have explored various projects and conducted extensive research. We kept discussing potential thesis topics and tried to find one topic that fits both the company’s potential interest and my research direction. Through continuous communication, we eventually settled on this topic regarding sustainability and luxury value. I have to say, finding the right topic was the most difficult part of my thesis study. Firstly, sustainability integration in the context of luxury goods is a relatively under-researched academic area. Thus, I had to spend a significant amount of time finding relevant articles as the basis of my study. Secondly, I had to coordinate both with the company and the university for the research direction.

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Q: Could you briefly introduce the main research question of your thesis?

A: The title of my thesis is "Can Sustainable Offer Luxury Value? A Probe into the Automotive Industry". We might have the impression that sustainable development and luxury are contradictory concepts since sustainable development focuses on conserving resources, whereas luxury goods are associated with excess and indulgence. However, some studies have found that incorporating sustainability features into products does not necessarily diminish their luxury value. Nevertheless, previous research has not specifically focused on the automotive industry, which makes it an interesting topic to explore how emphasizing sustainable practices in the automotive industry affects the perceived luxury value of luxury vehicles.

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Q: In this process, what kind of assistance did you receive from the company?

A: Initially, when I was determining the thesis topic, I had continuous discussions with my supervisor at the company, Jan Parakenings . He provided general guidance on topic selection and professional knowledge regarding sustainability in the automotive industry. At the questionnaire development stage, I also received assistance from other departments, including Dr. Anna P?tzold in the Advanced User and Product Research team. Denis Elster , another thesis student at LTIC, also provided valuable input from a research perspective. They all offered constructive advice to help me refine my questionnaire. In addition, as my research is consumer- and product-driven, I sought guidance from Nadia Malouli , a branding expert at Lotus Cars Europe . Her professional insights were highly beneficial, and I am grateful for all the support that I received throughout my thesis study.

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Q: Throughout your internship of several months, is there any particular experience or moment that left a deep impression on you? Please share it with us.

A: Firstly, I feel very grateful to Jan for giving me this opportunity to join the team. He has provided me with great flexibility to conduct research and engage in various projects. This aspect of the work, along with the smooth communication with Jan, is something I appreciate and enjoy. Moreover, the HR department organizes various company events, and I found the one celebrating the Chinese New Year particularly memorable. We had the opportunity to share traditional foods from different countries, not just from China. It was a great experience that allowed colleagues to learn about each other's culture and I really enjoyed it.

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If you are interested in completing Sia's survey questionnaire, you can click on here. LTIC regularly has positions available for interns and working students. If you are interested, please visit our career page for the latest job openings.