Business Management – Food & Wine

This course focuses on the main components of accounting, budgeting and cost analysis. In addition the course will train students on how to analyze economic-financial forecasts and budgets as well as understand the measurement and interpretation of the economic-financial performance of the company. Calculation and analysis in decision-making, management supervision, strategic control and strategic cost management will also be explored.

Over the last decade sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices have become paramount for companies as well as for the society at large. Although most companies have developed sustainability programs over the years, as they are cutting carbon emissions, reducing waste, and otherwise enhancing operational efficiency, we are witnessing a mishmash of sustainability tactics that does not add up to a sustainable strategy. To endure, a sustainable strategy has to cope with the competing – and apparently divergent – interests of all stakeholders: investors, employees, customers, governments, NGOs, society and the natural environment.

The purpose of this course is to initiate a debate around the role and functioning of modern corporations as sustainability challenges, opportunities and solutions emerge. In particular, the objective of the course is to detail and disentangle the links between sustainability, CSR and the key role that digital technologies can play as a mean to translate sustainable strategies into effective outcomes.

Within this perspective, three major learning outcomes are expected:

• To allow students to gain a solid and robust understanding of what sustainability and corporate social responsibility mean in a business context;
• To allow students to understand key approaches and frameworks for measuring and reporting sustainability and CSR in organizations;
• To gain an understanding of what sustainability oriented innovation means and how it can be applied to a digital organizational context.

In order to achieve these objectives the course will combine (i) case studies and whole class discussion; (ii) talks by business leaders and managers dealing with sustainability issues; (iii) lectures.

The evaluation of how economically sound a project or investment is, determining the value of a company, understanding the fiscal variables which determine an optimal financial structure. Corporate governance, venture capital and the main issues inherent to the listing of companies on the stock exchange. The functions of the principle derived tools and their use when covering financial risks of the company.

The course aims to introduce students to the most relevant issues (foundational and more advanced) of digital technologies, discussing the most important present and future consequences on the lives of individuals and on the structure and functioning of organizations and processes. The main topics covered are: fundamentals of computational systems, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, conversational systems, computational logic, networks and security.

The objective of the course in Digital Marketing is to provide the necessary knowledge for successfully implementing a marketing strategy utilizing new information technology, analyzing the needs of the client, the company communication and sales. A principally quantitative approach for measuring the effectiveness of Digital Marketing activities, which finds their natural application in an online context (e.g. Social Media, E-Commerce, Direct Marketing), without overlooking the application of new technologies in an offline context (e.g. Apps and Mobile Marketing in a modern Retailing environment). At the end of the course, it is expected that the students will have acquired a high level of knowledge on the main tools used in the field of Digital Marketing, allowing them to: define and implement a coherent Digital Marketing strategy; select the best suited tools based on strategic objectives; monitor the effectiveness by means of rigorous analytical procedures.

This course takes an in-depth look at argi-business. Exploring all factors including the economic and management issues related to enterprises engaged in different sectors of the food and wine sector in the context of the gradual process of internationalization and globalization of the economy. In addition the course studies the implications for agricultural and food and wine businesses of the growing competitive pressure. Evolution of the concept and the role of quality in the food and wine industry: from typical production methods to genetically modified products. The strategies of multinational corporations, form large to small and medium-sized enterprises. Internal, external growth and concentrations. The development of modern forms of distribution channels and the new structure of trade channels in the food and wine sector. The application of the tools of strategic planning, tactical adaptation and audit for food and wine businesses.

This course structure consists of select lectures and three company projects.

LECTURES: Focus on the management of companies in the high-end food and wine business, which requires knowledge of issues unique to each sector and the problems of the value chain. Such management also necessitates an awareness of the repositioning activities of traditional companies which, starting from a medium or medium-high product, develop excellence in terms of production and distribution.

COMPANY PROJECTS: The course also includes 3 business projects of 1 month each. The projects are carried out by working in groups of 4-5 participants and begin with the presentation of the company by a manager of a company who is a partner in the School’s network. The manager details to the group the scope of the project. During each project work, participants are assisted by a tutor; at the end of the month there is a meeting with the management and a presentation of the deliverables created by the participants. Teachers and management both provide an assessment, in order to review both the originality of the managerial solutions proposed as well as the practical feasibility and implementation potential in a real business context.

From the business model to the operational marketing plan. The fundamental conceptual and quantitative tools necessary for understanding, analyzing and constructing the relationship a company establishes with its market of interest: the centrality of the client, studying acquired behavior, the processes of segmentation and positioning, the development of new products and the spread of innovation, pricing decisions, distribution and communication.

This course clearly defines all the main aspects of managing a successful communication and marketing campaigns within the Food and Wine sector, as well as define in-depth answers to the following questions:  how the process of reputation building of companies within the Food and Wine sector occurs. How important are the opinions of food and wine experts and guidebooks? What degree of relevance will these opinions have in a chef’s career, in the reputation and performance of a restaurant or a wine producer. What is the role played by Italian cuisine abroad in strengthening the reputation of Italian food and wine, and which instruments will strengthen the reputation of a product in Italy and in foreign markets?

Introduction to marketing research: descriptive analysis. Utilizing probability and hypothesis in marketing research. Design and technical development finalized for collecting primary data. Data analysis: regression. Segmentation and clustering techniques. Perceptual maps and positioning.

The course focuses on issues related to the management of materials along the supply chain, from suppliers to distribution channels. In this regard, they have a vital role. Managerial and organizational decisions made about the relationships with external companies with which we relate to, are the focal point of the course. In analyzing the vertical relationships between firms, the course seeks to develop: sensitivity to the Strategic Importance of the reports, the technical and managerial knowledge needed to deal with the decisions in the matter and organizational skills needed to manage them.