Made in Italy and successful Italian business models
(A 2 week intensive course)
Course Rationale and Description
Italy provides models of excellence in business in various sectors and industries. Made, styled, designed in Italy has become, over times, synonymous of high quality products and processes.
This course will focus on the most important fields that have contributed to the success of the “made in Italy” brand and label, that is, the industrial design, food and fashion industries.
The course will focus also on the positive elements and possible threats of the “Italian creative entrepreneurial business model” as opposed to other international business models.
One of the key issue of the course is represented by the possibility offered to students to compare the Italian Business model (through a series of conceptual frameworks, cases, guest speakers, field trips and site visits to excellent Italian Organizations) with the prevalent business models present in the U.S. and have the possibility to integrate the two approach. Approaching business with a blend of different perspective and approaches is a key element of success in the current global economic scenario.
Course Philosophy and Approach
The approach in the classroom is based on active learning. The class will be a combination of lecture/discussion, in-class exercises, out-of-class exercises, case analyses, site visits, presentations and personal reflections. This will provide the students with multiple ways to learn about entrepreneurial concepts related to Italian business excellence, and to demonstrate their capabilities.
Course Learning Objectives
The course’s main objective is to guide students to understand and acquire direct knowledge of Italian business expertise in different areas from creative, entrepreneurial, marketing and strategic perspectives.
By the time students complete this course they will :
- Understand the economic, historical, technological, societal and global implications of successful Italian entrepreneurship;
- Experience directly Italian Excellence in different business sectors;
- Understand which are the key success factors for competing successfully in a global marketplace in luxury businesses;
- Understand the difference between made, styled and designed in Italy;
- Appreciate the marketing fashion – design niche approach as opposed to the post industrial heavy advertising - mass market approach;
- Understand how the food – wine - hospitality, fashion and industrial design industries work: key success factors and SWOT analysis.
- Compare the rational business model and approach with the creative – entrepreneurial business approach;
- Integrate the positive factors of different approaches and business model (with particular attention to Italy and U.S. prevalent business models).
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Throughout the course, students will practice cognitive, interactive, and teamwork skills, including analysis, synthesis, evaluation, reflection, critical thinking, problem solving, critiquing and communicating to meet course objectives.
Course contents
- Historical, technological, societal and global implications of Italian entrepreneurship and Italian Business Excellence. Competitive strategies of SMEs (the Italian perspective);
- Italian Business Excellence: environmental analysis and key success factors. The rational design-chaotics approach and the emotional entrepreneurial approach to strategic business development;
- Italian Business excellence in industrial design: business model, key success factors and Italian key successful players; case analysis;
- The fashion Industry, the business model and the key success factors, successful key players. Defining fashion and luxury;
· Italian Business excellence: segmentation of the luxury industry: case analysis from the fashion industry;
- Italian Business excellence in fashion: case analysis;
- The fashion Industry (cont’d). Branding as positioning and storytelling. The product development process;
· Italian Business excellence in fashion: business leadership in luxury and fashion: case analysis;
- Italian Business excellence in the food- wine hospitality sector; business model and key success factors;
