Placement Report
International Council of Swedish Industry
Student: Anna Magnusson Student ID: S3144216
Study: MA International Relations International Organisations (IRIO) – Security Studies Period: Spring Semester 2017
Organisation: International Council of Swedish Industry (NIR) Supervisors: Ms. Lisa Osbäck and Mr, Petter Ejhed
Internship at the International Council of Swedish Industry
Introduction
This is a placement report from the past spring semester at the International Council of Swedish Industry. It aims to provide a broad reflection on the responsibilities and experiences of the internship in order to evaluate the learnt outcomes in a comprehensive manner. The report is structured in the following order. First, a brief summery of the organization will be presented followed by a rationale for choosing the given placement and the procedure for receiving the position. Second, a short statement on preparations and expectations for the placement as well as a note on living in Stockholm is presented. Third, the performed tasks and acquired knowledge are reviewed before examining the prospects and challenges with the supervision. The report is finalized with some tips for other students as well as future career prospects before a short conclusion.
The Organisation.
The International Council of Swedish Industry (NIR) is a non-governmental organisation owned by thirteen of Sweden’s largest export companies, authorities and banks that support export and trade. NIR aims to support and broaden the scope of operations of Swedish businesses in markets that are considered politically, economically and socially complex. Together with its large network, the organisation has expertise in business environment reform, labour market dialogue and business and peace, among other areas. They provide market analysis, reports and networking and implement projects, all in order to improve structural conditions for business and thus contribute to countries’ sustainable economic development. The organisation adopts a long-term perspective on its engagement in order to achieve a social, economic and environmental sustainable business climate.
Why the Chosen Placement and the Procedure to Receive the Position
organisation for a whole semester. I was afraid the feeling of inadequacy was due to the large size of the organisation, which made the individual fairly disconnected to some of the organisation’s overall operations. Consequently, in line with my ambition to learn something different large international organisations, such as the UN, was discarded. I preferred to engage in a small organisation where my work would matter and contribute substantially to the operations, as well as offer personal contact with all of the employees. Hence, a small organisation became the scope of my search for a placement. Coincidentally, I did not have to look for very long.
I was first introduced to NIR during my internship at the Ministry. The Ministry hosted a conference on peace and development and the CEO of NIR, Jonas Borglin, was invited to speak about the private sector as a development actor. At that time I did not pay any more attention to the small organisation then to the extent that the charismatic CEO was intriguingly engaged in the subject matter. However, as I entered the master’s programme of IRIO and got the opportunity to study the course of Political Geography of Infrastructure with Jana Hönke, the meeting with the small organisation came to mind. During the course, while covering how infrastructure can be a channel to understand power and how a new world order creates new spaces for non-traditional actors to participate in politics, I rememberd the topic that the CEO spoke of three years earlier on how businesses and the private sector can be actors for peace building. Hence, the input from the course at the university was one of the foremost reasons I ended up at the given placement.
I contacted Lisa Osbäck, one of the programme managers responsible for peace building projects in Colombia, as I thought my background in peace and conflict studies and international security would be most suitable for that project, and asked if they were looking for interns for the forthcoming semester. The programme manager got back to me the very same afternoon asking for an interview over the phone. I believe it was the combination of my previous experience and studies together with my determination to get the internship at that particular place that resulted in the positive response. Thus, a few days later I was appointed the position. I believe my achievement depended on the fact that I read up on their current work and positioned my own experience in relation to those projects, which in turn made my application particularity interesting.
supervisor quickly identified relevant tasks based on my skills in favour of their needs, which I believe was an advantage for the application process.
Arguably, I had an advantage when applying for positions as I had already done an internship before and therefore already familiar with the process. Also, since the programme manager got back to me so soon and appointed me the position, I did not have to put myself through the stress of writing an excessive amount of applications. Though it can be a great learning experience to write cover letters and résumés, I was happy with the quick response. In addition, getting a quick response is always great for your confidence.
Preparing for the Internship
During my interview with Lisa Osbäck, my supervisor to be, I got a thorough description on the projects currently running, and a background story of the organisation. Since NIR is a small organisation, Lisa did not expect me to know too much about it. In fact, she was happy I even knew it existed. Consequently, I did not have to prepare much before the internship started. Instead, she encouraged me to consider what areas I would be interested in working with, such as what regions, countries or subject matters. Also, as I was appointed the position rather long before hand, Lisa was not sure what suitable projects would be running by the time I started the internship, hence it was difficult to do any thorough preparations as the forthcoming agenda for the spring was not yet confirmed.
In terms of expectations my ambition was to learn about the private sector, its political obstacles and constrains as well as its opportunities to influence politics. I aimed to develop my analytical skills and my ability to apply my theoretical knowledge on real life scenarios. In reality, I ended up learning a great deal more.
Not only was the nature of my assigned tasks in line with what could be expected for a placement on a master’s level, but also the open and participatory environment that the workplace provided helped me develop additional skills that I would not have developed otherwise. Below I give a full statement on the assigned tasks and the skills acquired.
Living in Stockholm.
my hometown was solely because the nature of the placement appealed to me. I was particularly curious about the organisation and it seemed to offer a position at a level that was suitable to my experience.
I would recommend Stockholm for internships or an exchange semester to international students since knowing the native language is not an absolute necessity for working here. I had two colleagues during my internship who where not originally from Sweden, though they were both studying Swedish. Hence, the language used internally in the organisation was a mix of Swedish, English, some Spanish and whichever language was suitable for the given situation. Stockholm also offers plenty of cultural activates that could appeal to people from all over the world.
Assessment of the Tasks and Acquired Skills
Initially, the tasks appointed was less advanced, such as researching current political and economic developments in Venezuela and Guatemala to include in the annual report. I experienced the task as less demanding since the university thought me to process a large amount of information in a short period of time. Therefore, the give task was familiar in nature. I quickly took on the tasks and delivered without obstacles, which also was a good way to start off as success boosts the confidence.
I attended a high level meeting with member companies and the international organisation International Finance Corporation (IFC), where I learned about the actors’ work in international development. Most interestingly, I got to meet with the Swedish company Tetra Laval (a sister company to Tetra Pak who produces paperboard containers for food storage) and learn what the company does in developing countries for food security development. I was deeply impressed by their work and realized I would most definitely appreciate to work with development through private sector actors in the future.
case was an excellent example on the complexity of issues that NIR is working with on an everyday basis. How politics, private actors, legislation and multinational organisation intertwine and make up the political space where political decisions are being made. This newly attained awareness sparked my curiosity of what I could learn about politics during my internship at NIR form the perspective of the private sector.
Throughout the internship I was encountered with similar obstacles on indentifying relevan actors and their knowledge in certain areas. For example, one task was to identify relevant Swedish business actors in Morocco, however I found it hard to recognise whom was of real interest and where to find that kind of information. I got some initial help through relevant webpages however it took some effort to understand how to distinguish what was important and what was not. Thankfully, this got a lot easier with time. Since doing research is something I am familiar with from the university I soon found a more systematic way of searching for the right information and the next time I received a similar task, it was executed with significantly less effort. Again, an academic background was helpful as academia teaches you to process a significant amount of information in order to identify relevant facts and findings.
Additionally, I was confronted with the massive puzzle that makes up the interrelation between development aid and NGO’s. I was given the task to read through a newly published report on e-commerce in Cambodia to identify a strategy to formulate potential future projects on e-commerce that could be relevant for NIR to engage in. As the organisation is reliant on development aid money, any suggested e-commerce project had to correspond to the Swedish development aid strategy for the given country in order to even be considered a candidate for development aid. Though the task itself was a minor one it strongly reflected the relationship between NGO’s and government agencies. It gave me a deeper understanding of how NGO’s are strongly dependent on their expertise to be relevant to the political priorities of its own government in order for their operations to be implemented. Though e-commerce might have been the priority of the Cambodian government, if the envisioned projects are not compatible with the politics of the country providing aid it might never be realized. It was enlightening to understand the logic of the NGO in relation to the politics I learned during my time at the Ministry.
companies to not engage with Israel since the country is running businesses on occupied territories. The political instability and international pressure is making companies reluctant to invest in the region, which stipulates the already modest economic development in Palestine and has a negative impact on the region. This meeting was particularly interesting as it provided a nuanced view on the political development of both countries. Instead of emphasising the situation as black or white, meaning that actors in the region is either good guys or bad depending on the nature of their engagement, the meeting highlighted the consequences of implementing and excessive amount of international guidelines and laws and what impact they have on everyday activity in the region. It was rewarding to listen to the companies’ point of view, as they are strongly affected by the politics. Again, the example illustrates the complexity of issues NIR is working to solve on a daily basis.
More Comprehensive Work
The first more demanding assignment was given to me already during my second week. I was assigned to do a gender analysis for a newly launched project in Cuba. In addition to the analysis, I was asked to further develop the internal guidelines on how to incorporate gender mainstreaming in the organisations and its projects on a more systematic level. This task became one of the most important and time-consuming tasks of the semester, however it was also the most rewarding. Due to its many dimensions I got to practice my writing skills, my analytical skills and my oral skills.
I used several gender mainstreaming frameworks developed by the Swedish Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the World Bank Group and the United Nations in order to gain a broad picture of the definition of gender mainstreaming and how it could be applied. Though the consulted organisation all addressed gender, they had different approaches regarding gender issue and how a gender perspective should be implemented. Hence my first and foremost concern was to manage the excessive amount of material available and to convert it into a framework that was applicable and relevant for NIR, as the organisation works primarily with private sector development. I managed to do so by using lessons learned from institutions working with similar topics as well as experience from within the organization. Based on those findings, and the framework provided by SIDA, I was able to create a comprehensive document that was to be used to strengthen NIR’s ability to gender mainstream in all their projects and activities.
practice my oral skills and the ability to teach skills to others. First, I presented the formula for integrating gender in projects. Second, we did an exercise where the group would apply the theoretical framework on a real case scenario, using the on-going project in Cuba as a case. The response from my colleagues was incredible. They were engaged in the topic and delivered a dynamic discussion, including a variety of ideas and point of views on how gender mainstreaming was applicable to their everyday jobs. Most interestingly was the fact that even though all worked at the same place, shared similar values and working methods, there was a variety of opinions and ideas on how gender equality should be addressed and how gender mainstreaming could be applied. It was amazing to be able to push the group into such engaging discussions.
In addition, my colleagues highlighted the importance of fully understanding gender mainstreaming, not only because it is required from the financial institutions when applying for grants, but also in order to attain a greater understanding of what consequences the implemented programme has on the local community. Also, the discussions from the workshop concluded how gender should be an integrated part of the risk assessment as the projects affect on gender roles could be a potential risk (or opportunity) for the programmes success. This response confirmed that the job I had done was essential and highly relevant for the organisation’s operations. Also, I truly believe my contribution will continue to be relevant for the work of the project managers in the future.
Lastly, one of the foremost reasons I was convinced that NIR would be an ideal placement for me was due to their newly launched project, “the Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI). During the spring, NIR was granted aid for research project on security implications of Chinese investments in relation to the newly launched initiative to restore the old Silk Road trade rout.1 As I was deeply inspired by the course on Political Geography of Infrastructure I became particularly interested in that project. Additionally, inspired by NIR’s approach to private sector and peace building, I had the ambition to write my master thesis on a similar theme. Luckily, my supervisor agreed that it would be ideal for me to engage in the BRI project.
Shortly after I was assigned to assist the project, I asked the responsible programme manager if I could join his forthcoming business trip to Myanmar. To clarify, Myanmar has long been a country of great interest to me due to its political challenges as well as diverse
1 For more information on the BRI, please consult ”The silk and Road Economic Belt” by SIPRI.
and unique culture. To my surprise, my colleague was delighted that I wanted to come and after consulting the chief and the secretary I was allowed to go.
So, I spent eight days in Yangon and Mandalay meeting local businessmen, international companies, the Swedish embassy, large international organisations such as International Labour Organisation, business chambers, NGO’s and scholars working in the field of peace building and security. Though I lacked a bit of confidence and barely contribute to the discussions, the experience was truly rewarding. It was incredibly fascinating to listen to the level of professionalism of the conversations and my colleague’s ability to vary the language depending on whom he spoke to. It was a first hand experience on diplomacy.
The trip itself was less educational in terms of academic or analytical skills, however it was incredibly educational in terms of more practical skills, such as how to dress appropriately for the business occasion in other cultures. Customs in Myanmar differed substantially from what is expected in Sweden. Or, again, the level of diplomatic language that varied depending on the recipient. Those are skill one cannot learn from a textbook.
Positives and Challenges with the Supervision
In general, I was satisfied with my assigned tasks. The supervisor assigned less less demanding tasks at first as a way to introduce the organisation’s routines. The faster I learned the more responsibility I got. However, as my supervisor was absent at times due to do illness, it was challenging to receive tasks to fill a whole week of work. Her absence made me feel a bit isolated at times. On the other hand, it was a good way to learn to be independent, and it forced me to be confident at work and have the courage to ask other co-workers for help when needed. Thankfully, as the organisation is small and un-hierarchical, it was never problematic to ask the rest of the group for additional work. Subsequently, as I received more challenging tasks that required more time, it was easier to fill the days.
isolate the relevant information, otherwise one cannot rule out what is relevant in the first place. This insight was fruitful as I made me more humble towards my own work.
I ended up prolonging the internship after the initial ten weeks, and since my supervisor left for maternity leave I received an additional supervisor. As mention earlier, the organisation is quite small, therefore I was already working with most of the employees on different projects. Consequently, the shift from one supervisor to the other went unsurprisingly smooth.
During the spring there was a terror attack in Stockholm that chocked the whole city. Both my colleagues and I had people we knew working and living in the area where the strike hit. Thankfully, no one we know was nearby at that time, however it was a chocking experience for everyone. Meanwhile, it became very clear that the people I was working with had experience in working in risky, sometimes dangerous, environments. Within minutes after the attack we had located all the employees (the attack happened on a sunny afternoon, hence some were attending meetings around the city whilst others had left for the day) and their respective families. Everyone recognised the importance of contacting the secretariat, which made it easy to locate everyone quickly.
In addition, I would like to acknowledge the secretariat of IRIO who contacted me by email shortly after the incident reached international news. They sent a thoughtful email asking me to contact them to ensure I was safe. I was touched by their concern and impressed how fast the university realized I was stationed in the affected location. Their reaction was both professional and thoughtful.
Tips for Future Placement Students
I am uncertain whether this way of going about is favourable with large organisations that receive numerous of applications each year. However, if you happen to find a small organisation, or research institute, do not hesitate to contact an employee who is working on the specific topic of your interest. He or she will most definitely be flattered that you are interested in their work, and most probably get back to you.
Future Career and Prospects
Frankly speaking, the more one learns about the field of international relations, the broader the scope of potential workplaces becomes. Though I wish I could provide a straightforward answer to what prospects I have for my future career, it is impossible at this point. With that being said, the more time I spend within this filed, and the more experience I gain, the more I realize what I do not want to do. By minimizing the scope of potential careers I hope to recognize my upcoming career path within a near future. I would most definitely be honored to work at NIR, however I also believe I have plenty of potential to work in other fields, for example within the area of sustainability at a company or research.
My internship most definitely broadened the scope of potential work places by introducing me to new fields. Meanwhile, NIR also provided me with countless contacts within different work fields, such as NGO’s, a variety of companies and government agencies. Lastly, my co-workers are most definitely the bets networks I gained. Most of them were impressed by my work hence, when necessary I have the confident can contact any of them for references. Accordingly, I have the luxury to choose who is most suitable to contact depending on the position I am applying for. Hopefully, this can be used as an advantage in my future career.
Conclusion
The report above has illustrated the experiences, challenges and knowledge gained after one semester as an intern. It demonstrates the full process of an internship, from the application and preparations before the placement, to reflections on the received tasks before concluding with a few tips for future interns. In general, the internship exceeded my expatiations in terms of my given tasks. In addition to tasks such as doing analyses, hosting meetings and writing memos, which were tasks I was expecting to receive, I also got the chance to develop additional skills by executing my own project, as with the gender workshop, and I got to travel to Myanmar.
have over ten years of experience working with this exact field so I guess I have time to reach the same level of impresses.
