Masters in International Business and Digital Transformation

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. identify the digital tools that have the appropriate characteristics for starting internationalisation processes in new foreign markets;

1. discuss the role of digital technologies on firms’ productivity and international competitiveness in various (global) contexts;

1. develop innovative and creative solutions to support and/or restructure GVCs in various contexts using the appropriate mix of digital technologies.

1. The configuration of a global supply chain: the main models for the positioning of source, make and delivery stages; the role of factories in a global supply chain
2. International transportation: features of the main transportation modes, types of services, transportation networks, types of companies, transportation unit loads and cost structure of international transportation
3. The order cycle in a global context: terms of trade/incoterms, main criteria for the selection of terms of trade and implications on cost structure; customs clearance process and computation of duties
4. The internationalisation process of the distribution channel: general framework for distribution internationalisation; main methods for entry into a new market, both indirect exporting (e.g. export trading companies, distributors) and active exporting (e.g. agents, subsidiaries), the main configurations of logistics networks in terms of types of warehouses (e.g. consolidation hub, international warehouse, merge in transit warehouse) and number of echelons; main logistics strategies (i.e. International sale, International outpost and International network)
5. How to structure a digital export strategy: (i.e. the pillars of a digital export model)
6. Cross-border e-commerce to China
7. New technologies supporting export
   

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. Understand and describe the main strategies for setting up a global logistics network and their consistency with the general company strategy
2. Understand and describe the main solutions/alternatives in the following fields: transport modes, customs, outsourcing in a global context, trade channel, incoterms
3. Apply criteria, methodologies and models to distribution problems in order to design and manage global distribution networks
4. identify innovative solutions in managing global networks (e.g. entering new markets/cross-border e-commerce).

1. An examination of the main types of contracts used to accompany a company's digitalisation and internationalisation process (international M&A agreements, investment contracts, joint ventures and partnerships, international sales and distribution agreements, such as reseller agreements, agency, franchise, software licences, Saas, Iaas and other technology contracts, international sourcing and outsourcing)
2. An illustration of the key aspects of contractual e-commerce practices and regulations at an international level, as well as the profiles relating to the protection of personal data and the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation)
3. An examination of the legal disruption and key tax, legal and regulatory issues generated by digital platforms (such as Amazon, Facebook, Google, Alibaba, Uber, Airbnb) and artificial intelligence tools
4. A description of the strategies to protect the intellectual property of companies that operate on international markets, describing how to design, evaluate and negotiate an international outsourcing contract; students will engage in a simulation of the negotiation of an international outsourcing contract; they will be provided with an overview of the tax legislation and its evolution as a response to the changing economic situation, examining in detail the most important or most frequently used tax regulatory instruments, the tax implication of setting up a foreign subsidiary, the notion of permanent establishment, discussing the rules and methods relating to transfer pricing and profit allocation, learning how to avoid double taxation, when and how the income produced abroad is taxed, the credit for taxes paid abroad and the evaluation of tax implications when designing and negotiating an international agreement.

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. Identify the legal and tax issues involved in the process of business internationalisation and digitalisation and learn how to manage and minimise them
2. Discuss the key elements of the main contractual frameworks used in connection with foreign investments, cross-border procurement or the sale of digital products and services, international distribution of products and services using digital technologies
3. Understand the basics of e-commerce regulation, GDPR and other data protection rules, and international tax planning.

The main belief at the core of the course is that 'Yes, there is individual personality and there are preferred styles of communication, but there are certain specific instances wherein individuals from two different national cultures tend to follow the practices of their home nations, rather than their personality, etc. In our execution of actions, it is better to know when, where and how'.

Students are exposed to multiple role-plays, simulations and sessions with guest speakers who manage international teams within multinationals, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises from Italy and abroad.

The class’s geographic composition will play a part in determining the course. Students will be asked to display specific cultural knowledge about the countries from which they hail.

In a nutshell: the course teaches you to “hack” the cultural differences that affect your professional success, avoid culture traps and bridge gaps. Students get to benchmark their individual leadership styles against preferences from around the world and learn to adapt their own style to successfully manage team members from various cultural backgrounds.

At the end of the course, students should be ready to:

1. Work with global teams within international organisations
2. Manage virtual teams
3. Negotiate, influence and motivate internationally
4. Understand cultural influences and develop strategies for working successfully across the world.

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. Understand the new digital processes and business models for entrepreneurial or corporate entrepreneurial projects to enable digital transformation
2. Design and develop digital transformation projects to create new digital product-service systems, digital new ventures or digital corporate ventures.

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. Make proper judgements about the impacts of digital technologies on financial services
2. Apply knowledge of the emerging digital finance paradigm to analyse how it is reshaping the financial industry.

1. The extended enterprise: the main supply chain processes, KPIs and organisational models
2. Technologies for supply chain integration and collaboration: EDI, internet EDI, Extranet, electronic invoicing, etc.
3. The measure of benefits and profitability
4. Electronic invoicing and electronic storage of commercial and tax documents
5. The integration of the order-payment cycle: from the alignment of personal data to reconciliation of payments
6. Collaborative planning: from Vendor-Managed Inventory to Collaborative Forecasting
7. The extended enterprise: specific applications and processes
8. IoT technologies for the extended enterprise
9. Applications: from supply chain traceability to the fight against product counterfeiting
10. The IT infrastructure of the extended enterprise
11. Cases for evaluating the benefits of efficiency and effectiveness.

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. Understand which are the main supply chain processes and their respective KPIs
2. Analyse the technologies underlying the integration and collaboration of the supply chain
3. Introduce the main digitalisation paradigms of supply chain processes (planning, collaboration, supply chain traceability, co-design, but also electronic invoicing, integration of the order cycle, etc.)
4. Measure the 'value' of digitisation and integration projects in B2B interface processes
5. Analyse the main organisational and management issues of digitisation inside the individual company and within the extended supply chain in which it operates.

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. Interpret the rapidly evolving scenario of Industry 4.0 and possess an awareness of how enabling digital technologies is reshaping the manufacturing sector and providing competitive levers
2. Identify and manage the tools for the factory of the future.

1. The evolution of the marketing paradigm and the new approach to creating value
2. Consumer behaviour between offline and online and the impact on design of brand experiences
3. The definition of an omnichannel marketing strategy that places the customer at the centre (Customer Centricity)
4. The current scenarios and the main trends, with a focus on Italy, relating to digital channels (internet, digital TV, mobiles, e-commerce, phygital retail, social media, export, etc.)
5. The design of an omnichannel communication strategy and the construction of brand experiences
6. The definition of objectives, metrics and KPIs for measuring and optimising marketing and communication activities today.

At the end of the course, students should:

1. Have a clear vision of the evolution of marketing paradigms and an understanding of in-depth analysis of the variables involved in the new reference model, and be able to use them in the application of their own working context
2. Understand the strategic, operational and organisational implications that the new marketing practices have on companies and, in particular, on the management and organisation of marketing and communication activities
3. Know the main marketing levers that affect and enable the paradigm shift, the synergies that can and must be created between these, with particular focus on digital levers
4. With a focus on Italy, have an overview of the main trends in progress in terms of marketing and communication and on the dissemination and use of the most relevant digital channels (e.g. social media, e-commerce, phygital retail, export, influencer marketing, etc.)
5. Have a clear vision of the new role of communication as a terrain of constant dialogue and comparison between company/brand and customer and enabler of business success
6. Understand how to redefine and orchestrate the main marketing and communication levers in light of the new technological, social and consumer scenarios.