Category: Educations Series

MIP Reading List

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Discover the reading list suggested by the members of our Faculty

 

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

suggested by Chiara Franzoni, Director of the International Master in Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Reasons why: This beautiful book from Nobel-Laureate Daniel Kahneman explains in a clear and enjoyable way the pitfalls and biases of human cognition. A must-read for anyone dealing with financial markets and with marketing. But also a real classic and fun read for anybody.

 

Superforcasting. The Art and Science of Prediction by Philip Tetlock

suggested by Chiara Franzoni, Director of the International Master in Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Reasons why: Being able to anticipate and predict the geo-political events is a great ability that any leader should exercise. Here’s a scientific point of view of what we really know about predicting. Learn to use the approach of US intelligence and other experts tasked with professional forecasting.

 

The Business of Platforms: Strategy in the Age of Digital Competition, Innovation, and Power by Michael A. Cusumano, Annabelle Gawer, David B. Yoffie

suggested by Federico Frattini, MIP Dean

Reasons why: It’s an essential book to understand the innovation dynamics in the new “platform competition” paradigm. It provides the reader with ideas about how to innovate his/her own business in a new, different context that, coming from this emergency period, will highlight the power of digital platforms.

 

Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur

suggested by Sergio Terzi, MIP Associate Dean for Executive Education

Reasons why: This book is an important source of inspiration for innovators. It talks about a practical method (the Business Model Canvas) to design ideas, products and services.

 

Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces That Shape Behavior by Jonah Berger

suggested by Tommaso Agasisti, MIP Associate Dean for Internationalization, Quality and Services

Reasons why: Jonah Berger (Wharton) explains the way in which personalities and environments affect decisions and behaviours in different business situations. Reading this book you will develop an increased awareness about behaviour drivers and new ways to face managerial challenges.

 

Largo Winch by Francq and Van Hamme

suggested by Filippo Renga, Junior Assistant Professor

Reasons why: A different way to read about finance and corporate psychology. Giscard D’Estaing and other businessmen read it. It is a comic…perfect to relax!

 

Extreme ownership, How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Winby Jocko Willink e Leif Babine

suggested by Giovanni Toletti, Associate Professor of Business Economics and Organisation

Reasons why: Leaders must own everything in their world. There is no one else to blame. Leaders must acknowledge mistakes and admit failures, take ownership of them and develop a plan to win

 

Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy

suggested by Antonio Menegatti, Adjunct Professor at MIP Politecnico di Milano

Reasons why: Human Beings have the power not only to affect how others see us but also to change how we see ourselves and even the ability to alter our own chemistry, simply by changing body positions

 

The Power of Habit, Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change by Charles Duhigg

suggested by Giovanni Toletti, Associate Professor of Business Economics and Organisation

Reasons why: Why someone is able to change apparently overnight, and others don’t? The key are habits. Habits simplify the life and leave the brains free to perform other tasks. Hence are really useful. At the same time may represent constraints that limit our possibility to do things, innovate and change. How then may you change habits?

 

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t by Simon Sinek

suggested by Antonio Menegatti, Adjunct Professor at MIP Politecnico di Milano

Reasons why: Leaders don’t just sacrifice their place at the table but often their own comfort and even their lives for those in their care, to the heads of big business and government – each putting aside their own interests to protect their teams.

 

The Power of Resilience by Yossi Sheffi

suggested by Antonella Maria Moretto, Associate Dean for Open Programs at MIP Politecnico di Milano.

Reasons why: In this moment of hard times, companies are finding out more than ever the importance of supply chain resilience, both internally and externally. Through the discussion of practical cases, the book offers interesting insights about why it is important to make the supply chains more resilient and provides practical suggestions about how to pursue this goal.

 

Platform revolution: How networked markets are transforming the economy and how to make them work for you by Geoffrey G. Parker, Marshall W. Van Alstyne and Sangeet Paul Choudary.

suggested by Daniel Trabucchi, Junior Associate Professor in Innovation Management Area.

Reasons why: A fresh view on the power of platforms that are changing the way we enjoy many products and services. At the intersection between innovation and strategy, this book shows how platforms are changing the rules of the game… industry after industry.

 

Finance and the Good Society by Robert J. Shiller

suggested by Giancarlo Giudici, Associate Professor of Corporate Finance.

Reasons why: The Nobel prize Shiller argues that, rather than condemning finance, we need to reclaim it for the common good. Far from being a parasite on society, finance is one of the most powerful tools we have for solving problems and increasing the general well-being.

 

Outliers. The story of success by Malcolm Gladwell

suggested by Luca Baiguini, Adjunct Professor of People Management and Organization.

Reasons why: Gladwell challanges the idea of success as a mix of talent and hard work. With his words, success “is not exceptional or mysterious. It is grounded in a web of advantages and inheritances, some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky.” 

 

Machine, Platform, Crowd: Harnessing Our Digital Future by Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfsson

suggested by Luca Gastaldi, Associate Professor, Core Faculty Member.

Reasons why: A clear and crisply reflection on the impact of latest digital technologies on our way of living and working.

 

The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries 

suggested by Antonio Ghezzi, Associate Professor, Core Faculty Member.

Reasons why: Will my original business idea work? And can startup development be ‘lean’? In his seminal book that revolutionized traditional startup launch based on business planning, Ries proposes a counter-intuitive and systematic approach to business model validation based on MVPs and experiments.

 

The Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of Mass Unemployment by Martin Ford

suggested by Federico Della Bella, Extended Faculty Member.

Reasons why: This book outlines a reality when intelligent algorithms are already able to substitute blue collar and white collar jobs. Many of the existing jobs have become obsolete, and many others will soon be replaced by robots, especially those based on data and information. Without radical assessment of our economic and political structures, the risk of implosion of our society is very high.

 

Smart working during the time of the coronavirus

Posted on | by Mirja Calgaro | Leave a Comment on Smart working during the time of the coronavirus

Not just a fact of modernity, good practices and work-life balance: smart working for companies is now a matter of survival. 

 

Mariano Corso, Professor of Leadership and Innovation, Scientific Coordinator of the Smart Working Observatories and Cloud Transformation

 

What is smart working and at what stage is it at in Italy?

Smart working is a managerial philosophy based on the concept of restoring autonomy to workers, as well as giving them flexibility in the choice of workplace, working hours and tools to be used, and with more responsibility for the results. Too often smart working is confused with teleworking or is associated with welfare and mediation policies.
The real change that comes from smart working is much deeper than that: it is a shift from management based on presenteeism and control to management based on trust, cooperation, flexibility and delegation.

To undertake a smart working project, companies must operate around four key enablers: organisational policies on flexibility in working hours and workplace; digital technologies that expand and create a virtual work space; the physical layout of work spaces, which impacts working methods and may affect efficiency, effectiveness and wellbeing; and leadership styles and behaviour, associated with both the culture of the workers and their way of “living” their work, and the approach by managers to the exercise of authority and control.

Since 2017, Italy has had one of the most advanced legal frameworks for smart working in the world[1] and this practice is becoming increasingly widespread, especially in large organisations: in 2019, 58% had already introduced a structured project and 5% stated that they would introduce one within the next 12 months.
In SMEs, the spread of smart working initiatives is increasing and totals 12%; in these companies, the informal approach continues to be preferred and is followed by 18% of the sample.
Interest in smart working is also starting to grow in the public administration: structured projects have doubled from 8% to 16% since last year.
The number of smart workers is also increasing[2]: based on analysis performed on a statistically representative panel of workers, we estimate the figure to be around 570,000[3] people, 20% more than last year.

Why is there so much emphasis on smart working at the time of this health emergency?

The Covid-19 emergency has put smart working at the centre of political and media attention; this is because teleworking is a measure that enables compliance with the restrictions brought about by the current health emergency while at the same time ensuring business continuity.

What most people are starting to apply, however, is not “real” smart working, but rather an extreme and forced experience of “teleworking” where workers have no opportunity to choose where to work but are in fact forced to stay at home. Moreover, preparation for real smart working would require a transformation of the managerial model and the culture of the organisation, and radical innovation in the way work is designed and its relationship with the organisation. Specifically, according to the principles of smart working, workers should be encouraged to assume increasing autonomy in the choice of working methods, trying out new solutions and discovering how they measure up against the results. Such a cultural transition cannot happen quickly, though, as required by this emergency, but must be supported by communication, training and support initiatives.

The Covid-19 emergency has, however, been an extremely valuable test of organisational robustness and resilience. The companies and public administration departments that had already introduced models of smart working found themselves at an advantage and have much more easily absorbed the discontinuity. In many cases, they have proven to be surprisingly organised and resilient. In such organisations, many people already had the tools, skills and culture to enable them to work efficiently outside the business environment; moreover, the steps to be completed to allow other people to also work efficiently away from their workplace were already known (e.g. technology required, what type of access, what training to give, etc.).

Conversely, all those companies and public administration departments, which, due to cultural and organisational resistance, had refused to embrace this change, found themselves technologically, culturally and managerially unprepared and vulnerable in the face of the emergency. Many of these, despite having activities that could in theory be carried out remotely, forced people to continue working at their traditional workplace, exposing them to considerable risks and inconveniences. Others chose to cease activities, perhaps forcing people to take holidays or leave or resorting to lay-offs. Lastly, many have tried to “improvise” smart working, by asking people to work from home despite not having the culture, tools and skills in place.

Smart working after the coronavirus: never again without it!

What can we learn from this huge experiment with a new way of working? It should be emphasised once again that what organisations and people are experiencing is not “real” smart working, but a type of forced and extreme teleworking, which also brings with it some of the typical issues of teleworking: a feeling of isolation, difficulties with staying connected, and maintaining a work/life balance.

Yet despite the inevitable “forced nature” of this, organisations and people are carrying out a programme of training and awareness-raising which, in “normal” conditions would have taken years! Many people are learning to use innovative tools that enable joint working, to connect with and work together in teams whose members are in different places, and to maintain positive informal relationships via an array of digital devices. Many managers and workers, once sceptical about smart working, have realised how many activities, which they had always assumed required their presence in the office, can be done remotely via digital tools with equal or superior efficiency. In many cases, however, we have found ourselves appreciating or regretting office environments and situations that we often superficially took for granted.

We hope, therefore, that this emergency will not last long, but that at the end of it we will never look back! We hope that companies, public administration departments and society as a whole, will seize the opportunity, in light of this experience, to review their ways of organising production processes, spaces, and work and life patterns. We will then be able to return to smart working with even more vigour and maturity to tackle the many “everyday emergencies”: pollution, traffic, discrimination and, above all, the backwardness of a labour market, managerial culture and economy that need to be relaunched for the growth and good of our country!

 

__________________________

[1] Reference is made in particular to Law 81/2017 on Agile Working.

[2] For the purposes of the survey, smart workers were considered to be all employees that have flexibility and autonomy in their choice of working hours and workplace and who have digital tools suitable for working on the go, including outside company premises.

[3] Survey carried out on a sample of 1,000 workers. For more details see the methodology note.

 

The impact of climate change on economic growth

Posted on | by Marta Re Ferrè | Leave a Comment on The impact of climate change on economic growth

 

Climate change can reshape natural ecosystems, threatening life on Earth physiologically, but also economically. By analysing the economic impact of global warming, we can understand why this is a risk we cannot afford to take.


Massimo Tavoni, Full Professor of Climate Change Economics, School of Management Politecnico di Milano, and Director of the European Institute on Economics and the Environment

Climate change will have a profound impact on both ecosystems and human beings. Some of these kinds of impact are not quantifiable from an economic point of view because they have consequences such as the extinction of ecosystems and species. Others have been quantified, especially those which have an impact on production factors such as labour, capital and natural resources. Climate economists have been dealing with this problem for several years now, but to date, estimates regarding economic impact remain a very bountiful research topic, the depths of which have not yet been plumbed.

Recently, alternative methods have been developed to estimate the economic impact of the climate starting from historical empirical data. This approach analyses how temperature changes over the past 40 years have influenced the economic growth of every country in the world, taking into account their institutional, technological and climatic differences. This retrospective assessment has revealed a non-linear relationship between temperature and economic growth: for cold countries (i.e. those below an ‘ideal’ temperature), an increase in temperature could benefit the economy and lead to additional growth. For warm countries, however, it appears to lead to diminished economic growth, more significant in scale the warmer the country is.

By applying these estimates to different future global warming scenarios, we can observe some extremely significant economic losses. For example, for global temperature increases of 3°C – a very likely outcome given current emission trends – these estimates predict losses of World GDP of between 15 and 60%. It is important to bear in mind that these studies – as they extrapolate the information of the past in a future with a different climate – do not include factors such as rising sea levels, ocean acidification, etc.: factors that would, on the whole, increase the economic damage to the climate. As a counterpoint to this, an increased level of adaptability could limit damage. The latest IPCC report on 1.5°C has shown that limiting global warming to 1.5°C instead of 2°C would save 1.5-2.0% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) by halfway through the century and 3.5% of GDP by the end of the century. Based on a 3% discount rate, this corresponds to $8.1-11.6 trillion and $38.5 trillion in damage avoided by the middle and end of the century, respectively.

As shown in the Figure below, the impacts of global warming on economic growth are not felt the same way around the world. Both today and in the future, economic losses will mostly be concentrated in hot countries, where further warming leads to strong economic decline. Hot countries are also, on the whole, poorer than cold ones. As a result, climate change will not just slow global economic growth, but also exacerbate global inequalities, actually hitting the countries which have contributed the least to manmade climate change the hardest. This is likely to be the source of strong international tensions.

Figure 1. Projected economic impacts of climate change. Source: Burke et. Al, Nature, 2015.

 

We can attempt to break down the direct and indirect economic impacts of climate change into their relevant sectors. An OECD study (Dellink et al. 2019) assessed a wide range of impacts: changes in crop yields, loss of land and capital due to rising sea levels, changes in fisheries’ catches, damage to capital caused by hurricanes, changes in labour productivity and changes in healthcare costs from diseases and thermal stress, changes in tourism flows and changes in the demand for energy for cooling and heating. The results show that damages are expected to increase twice as fast as global economic activity – the impacts on productivity in both labour and agriculture have the most severe negative economic consequences. The damage caused by rising sea levels will grow faster after the middle of the century. The damage to energy and tourism is very small from a global perspective, as the benefits in some regions outweigh the damage in others. Climate damage caused by hurricanes can have significant effects on local communities, but macroeconomic consequences are expected to be relatively small. In line with the studies listed above, the net economic consequences are expected to be particularly serious in Africa and Asia, where regional economies are vulnerable to a range of different climate impacts.

Given this worrisome outlook, what actions should companies, governments and citizens be taking? Economists agree that pricing carbon is a fundamental tool for discouraging fossil fuels and incentivising green innovation. Staying below 2°C would require putting a price of about 50 Euros/tCO2 on CO2 globally. This seems politically challenging, especially in fast-growing economies which rely heavily on fossil-generated energy. Complementary policies such as incentives for green innovation, as well as behavioural change measures by consumers, could help to kickstart the low carbon transition. We now have the technology to achieve this transformation at reasonably low societal costs, if it is well-designed. It is a question of political capital and public acceptance. Regions such as Europe have a unique opportunity to use this green momentum to restructure their economies and favour a more sustainable and inclusive model.

Will Covid-19 change China’s economic DNA?

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Giuliano Noci, Professor of Strategy & Marketing, Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese Campus of the Politecnico di Milano

 

In the fateful year of 2020, the year in which China had set itself the target of doubling GDP compared with 2010, the country found itself the cause of a pandemic and facing an unprecedented economic and political challenge: Covid-19, which originated in the province of Hubei, has essentially led to a virtual paralysis in industrial activity and travel throughout China, causing heavy repercussions for both China and the rest of the world.

 

We are trying to carry on in an orderly manner and, above all, to avoid resorting to unhelpful analogies with the past. It is not a case of drawing on what happened with SARS in 2003: at that time, China accounted for 4% of global GDP whereas today it accounts for over 16% – the added value generated now totals USD 14 trillion – and, most importantly, it is much more integrated with the rest of the world, due to the effects of its entry into the WTO.

In this framework, focusing attention on the domestic effects, it is now almost a foregone conclusion that Beijing’s leadership will clearly struggle to meet the growth targets set for 2020 (+5.7% of growth in the domestic economy). Specifically, any economic growth in the first quarter will be very low: there is effectively no monetary or fiscal stimulus capable of dealing with a supply and demand crisis such as that encountered in the first two months of 2020. Suffice it to say that demand fell by 90%, travel within China was reduced to a minimum precisely at the time of the Lunar New Year, i.e. the period in which the propensity to spend in the population is at its highest, property transactions were broadly non-existent, and e-commerce sites recorded falls of 40%-80% in the purchase of luxury goods. On the production front, for almost a month plants were at a virtual standstill and it was only in the last week of February that production slowly recovered to reasonable levels – albeit not yet fully exploiting production capacity – in the first ten days of March.

Once the emergency is over, it is reasonable to expect a stimulus plan from the Politburo, which must, however, in my opinion, have very different features from the impressive plan of over USD 500 billion made available in 2008. It cannot be based solely on public investment (mainly in infrastructure) as it will be necessary to support the income of individuals due to potential negative repercussions on employment; great attention will need to be paid to the issue of lending to companies – overall Chinese debt has rocketed from 2008 and now stands at 310% of GDP, i.e. more focus needs to be put on the quality than the quantity of the stimulus. I’ll try to explain what I mean: given that China has decided to focus on the “New Normal”, i.e. to transform the economic system from the world’s production workshop to an innovation hub, it must exploit this (drastic) situation to launch measures consistent with the new strategic reference horizon. Specifically, it is vital inter alia, to work for: (i) a reduction in bureaucracy, which represents an overwhelming burden on the business system – in recent weeks, moreover, the Beijing leaders have decided to abolish paper for many practices as it is a vehicle of contagion, (ii) an improvement in the national health system, whose inefficiency and cost are the cause of a moderate propensity to spend by the average Chinese person, in view of the need to autonomously support spending for treatment in old age, (iii) the full use of digital technology to support the fundamental process of growth in the skills of labourers, which represent an essential ingredient for achieving an industrial system that is capable of creating more added value than in the past. On the other hand, the Beijing government must launch measures aimed at containing the probable reshoring of some of the production activities of foreign players, as the latter will very probably decide, based on more prudent sourcing strategies, to reshore, at least in part, production sites previously opened in China based on a logic underpinned purely by the criterion of efficient supply policies. And there is one and only one mechanism available to the Politburo: further liberalisation, as advocated by the US Chamber of Commerce in China, namely foreign business practices and the rights to manage the intellectual property of foreign companies.

In short, only a real change in pace in the reform process, which has been announced many times but never fully followed through, will enable China to resume in 2021 the long march undertaken with the Deng reform, in the hope of becoming the largest economic power on the planet. We must, however, be completely clear that the road is still very long and the obstacles may be completely unpredictable, as the current emergency shows. It is a road that requires a leader with the farsightedness of Deng, and this is where we will see whether the Xi Jinping Thought will have the key not only to be enshrined in the Constitution but for China to aim at a position of economic and technological leadership.

 

School of Management for SDGs: the award for theses that impact Sustainable Development Goals

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Claudia Cuttini, Celine De Vincenzi, Giulia Montuori, Anabel Velazque, Rocco Abbattista, Giulia Madoglio, and Sonia Saibene: these are the winners of the 2019 edition of the SOM award “for SDGs”, presented yesterday at the “School of Management for Non-Profit Organisations” event held at the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering.

The award relates to Final Theses and Projects by alumni of the School of Management that impact Sustainable Development Goals, making a contribution to resolving the social challenges of our times, as well as proposing models for sustainable development on an environmental, economic and social level.

There were 27 applicants who presented their work (18 Laureati Magistrali [equivalent to Master of Science] in Management Engineering, and 9 MBA Alumni and other MIP Masters), assessed according to four criteria: impact on SDGs, innovative content, methodology used, and transferability and replicability of the results.

In their MSc theses, Claudia Cuttini and Celine De Vincenzi addressed the issue of reducing food waste along the agri-food supply chain, whilst Giulia Montuori tackled patient experiences with cancer-fighting therapies.

The winning projects, meanwhile, regarded Data Science, in the case of Anabel Velazque (Master in Business Analytics and Big Data) and environment, in the cases of Rocco Abbattista, Giulia Madoglio and Sonia Saibene (International Part Time MBA).

The event also aimed to bring together non-profit organisations in order to share the experience accrued and results achieved within the “School of Management for the Non-Profit Programme”, as well as to launch a new cycle of collaboration.

Establishing ties with non-profit organisations and social companies plays a central role in the programme, which was launched in 2017 with a view to enhancingand forming the School’s social and environmental sustainability and business ethics initiatives into a coherent wider strategy.

This programme provides a space for mutual collaboration and discussion with the non-profit world, facilitating contact between these organisations and the School’s students, professors and staff, in order to make skills available and develop projects jointly.

Over three years, more than 400 students have put themselves to the test, dealing with the knowledge and management challenges posed by non-profit organisations and social companies, running more than 100 projects involving Laurea Magistrale [equivalent to Master of Science] theses and projects, under the guidance of 20 professors and researchers.

An increasing number of the School’s students and teaching staff see social organisations as central players in the economy and in society, and the services sector is an area in which Management, Economics, and Industrial Engineering is increasingly being applied, with scientific interest also growing in step with it.

Internships for students and graduates in the Master of Science Degree in Management Engineering and the MIP Graduate School of Business are yet another way of exchanging knowledge.

In addition to teaching, research projects have also been run with various organisations, the aim of which is to increase the opportunities for joint demonstrations, skill development and research activities. Finally, the School assists non-profit organisations and social companies with their internal training needs.

Milan’s Local Food Hub against food waste: more than 150,000 meals recovered for a total of 77 tonnes of food

Posted on | by Mirja Calgaro | Leave a Comment on Milan’s Local Food Hub against food waste: more than 150,000 meals recovered for a total of 77 tonnes of food

Last 14th January, the local Food Hub located at Via Borsieri 2 in Milan (District 9) celebrated its first birthday and an incredible success: 77 tonnes of food, the equivalent of 154,000 meals, were saved from going to landfill in its first year, with 21 non-profit organisations, 11 supermarkets and 5 company canteens involved in the initiative.
And a new Food Hub in District 3 is ready to open its doors.

The Deputy Mayor in charge of Food Policy, Anna Scavuzzo, said: “This has been a great success for the Via Borsieri Hub – it has laid the foundations for other districts. The figures show that if everyone involved works towards a common goal, it is possible to create an effective and supportive network capable of meeting the needs of a big city like Milan. With the participation of two important new players, AVIS Comunale di Milano and Banca di Credito Cooperativo di Milano, we are now ready to open another Hub in District 3.”

In 2015, Milan introduced a new Food Policy to pioneer a more sustainable food system throughout the city, introducing a multidisciplinary and participative approach under which city authorities act as drivers and enablers. A top priority in this food policy is to reduce food waste, and the best way to achieve that goal was to bring local players on board, namely the city’s research centres, institutions, private sector, foundations and social actors.

To translate this priority into concrete action, in 2016 the City of Milan, Assolombarda (the Lombardy section of the Italian Entrepreneurial Association) and the School of Management of the Politecnico di Milano signed a memorandum of understanding, entitled “Zero Waste”, drawn up to reduce food waste and implement a new method for recovering and redistributing surplus food which would then be donated to people in need.

The design and experimentation of such a model aimed at collecting and redistributing unsold products or unserved cooked meals was built around local networks of supermarkets, corporate canteens and non-profit food-aid organisations. It gave rise to the first district Food Hub promoted by the City of Milan, Assolombarda, the School of Management of the Politecnico di Milano, in partnership with Banco Alimentare Lombardia (Lombardy Food Bank) and supported by the “QuBì Programme – The recipe against child poverty”, promoted by Fondazione Cariplo with the support of Fondazione Vismara, Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, Fondazione Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi, Fondazione Fiera Milano and Fondazione Snam.

The School of Management of the Politecnico di Milano conducted a feasibility study of the model and has been in charge of monitoring operations at the hub and for the whole system whilst measuring the impact of the project over a 12-month period, building a logistical model that now is being scaled up and replicated in other areas of the city.

All district Hubs will provide practical answers to the demand for city-wide food waste reduction and access to food by those in need, ensuring a small-scale food collection and redistribution service.
The Via Borsieri Hub donated 77 tonnes of food – equivalent to about 154,000 meals – with an economic value of €308,000, reaching the levels predicted by the Politecnico di Milano in its model. Over the course of the year, the number of social players benefitting from the service, i.e. non-profit organisations, increased from 14 to 21.

“I am very pleased to have contributed to a systemic solution which addresses the salvage of small and scattered surpluses of food, which are the most difficult to manage,” said Alessandro Perego, Director of the Department of Management Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano. “These projects are an important lesson in mutual support for individuals and the community as a whole. Something that we seriously need at this time, when the risks of increasing social inequality and marginalisation are high.”

Banco Alimentare Director Marco Magnelli said: “One year later, the results of a projects that functions from the perspectives of logistics, hygiene, and health and safety, promoted and coordinated by Banco Alimentare della Lombardia, confirmed that it is a successful response to the region’s food needs. This was made possible due to the partnership between public, for-profit, non-profit and university institutions.”

The companies associated with Assolombarda which are involved in the project have participated through their canteens by donating surplus food, thus helping to reduce waste. In addition, large-scale retailers provide different types of food on a daily basis which passes through the Hub and is redistributed to the various parties; eleven supermarkets and five company canteens are part of the initiative.

Assolombarda General Manager Alessandro Scarabelli said: “The ‘stronger together’ approach is key to the success of the via Borsieri district Hub and the opening of the new District 3 Hub. A goal that we are proud of, one which was made possible due to the contributions of our companies, which played an active role in reducing food waste and promoting an effective and replicable model. The results of the initiative encourage us to bolster our commitment to this issue, with the aim of spreading good practices and a culture of waste reduction for a greater degree of sustainability and responsibility throughout the region.”

In 2020, the next important innovation to come is the opening of an additional Hub in District 3, in the Lambrate area. This will involve the participation of AVIS Milano (a Blood Donors Association) and Banca di Credito Cooperativo (BCC), the winner of the recent public call for tender announced by the City of Milan to collect the necessary resources to set up new Hubs across the city.

BCC President Giuseppe Maino said: “We are aware of the urgent need to strengthen this network throughout Milan, so that it is capable of fighting food poverty and waste. We decided to support the project, because we share its objectives and values. We are proud of our members who decided to donate an amount equivalent to their usual Christmas bonus from the bank to the Hub construction project. We have long been committed to developing a positive-action network with the Metropolitan City’s most important associations and institutions to support and strengthen these regional efforts.”

Avis Milano General Manager Sergio Casartelli said: “Avis Milano submitted its application for the District Hubs’ call for tender because it is in line with our objectives. We will contribute to this important project for the city by providing our spaces in District 3, and join the network of players involved in the fight against food waste in Milan.”

Keep ON learning

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on Keep ON learning

We know that our country is going through a complicated period. The unusual situation in which we find ourselves is forcing us to rethink our daily habits and way of working, in some cases to totally reinvent them, with all the difficulties associated with this.

I believe that the best answer that each of us can give in this moment, the most valuable contribution to the common cause, is to continue to carry out our projects.

And it’s what we are doing at MIP. We work each day to allow students, professors, staff, companies, alumni, and all our other partners, to continue to rely on us.

In this period, we will share – through our digital platforms – advice, suggestions, articles and live webinars, specific contents and in-depth analyses for each of our stakeholders. Because, even in a situation like this, we must “Keep on learning”.

We are the first to impatiently await the moment in which our premises and the classrooms of MIP are once again filled with people, ideas and energy. but, until that happens, let’s turn these days of forced isolation into a big opportunity.

Because being isolated doesn’t mean being alone. Remember what Barack Obama said shortly before leaving the post of President of the United States: “No matter what happens, the sun will rise in the morning”. Let’s act so that the next sun will find us even more united and prepared than we are today.

Federico Frattini, Dean MIP Politecnico di Milano

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Discover the initiatives implemented for our community of Students, Alumni, Companies, Professionals, Educational Institution, Cultural Institutions and Public Administration:
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MIP4HEALTH Ripensare la Didattica attraverso la tecnologia Luxury Management Talks

The Global Talent Recruiting Day goes digital

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on The Global Talent Recruiting Day goes digital

In recent years, MIP Politecnico di Milano has worked hard on the potential of digital learning, to respond to the need for greater flexibility and personalisation and to guarantee high standards to its students, as recognized by the latest Financial Times Ranking.

In line with this strategy, the School decided to use even more this know-how to continue to provide education and services, in order to minimize the inconvenience caused by the evolution of the situation linked to the Coronavirus.

Indeed, for the very first time, the annual Global Talent Recruiting Day, will turn digital and be fully managed online, through a digital platform.

Moreover, it will be powered by FLEXA, MIP’s innovative digital platform, featuring the latest Microsoft artificial intelligence tools, designed for students and companies.

On April 3rd companies and candidates, who will accept this challenge, will be able to meet in a virtual meeting room and schedule interviews throughout the day.

The event will host leader companies from different sectors and our International Specialising Masters and  Full Time MBA candidates, coming from more than 30 countries all over the world.

In the end, MIP first digital Global Recruiting Day is also a unique opportunity to exploit the potentialities of digitalization for both candidates and recruiters.

The first ones will meet HR and Managers of top Employers representing different Industry Sectors and the second ones will be able to find new talents among the best in the world, without moving from home!

Global Talent Recruiting Day

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on Global Talent Recruiting Day

MIP and Politecnico di Milano are facing the emergency of these days, thanks to a consolidated expertise on DIGITAL, implementing a rapid and effective turn on distance learning. Here the recognition of the Financial Times.
In line with this strategy, we are glad to confirm the annual Global Talent Recruiting Day which will be managed on a digital platform.

Companies, assigned to their own sector (Technology & Digital | Industrial & Energy| Retail & Consumer Goods| Luxury, Fashion & Lifestyle| Consulting & Finance) will have the opportunity to:

  • Access a virtual room
  • Schedule interviews throughout the day
  • Better manage the time of interviews
  • Meet International Master candidates coming from more than 30 countries all over the world, representing different cultures and speaking at least another language in addition to English.

The event is open to MIP International Specialising Master candidates, available from May 2020 for internship/job opportunities in companies.
Specialising Master candidates have an international background and 0-2 years of professional experience in different sectors and functional areas such as Supply Chain & Procurement| Business Analytics & Big Data| Marketing Management, Omnichannel & Consumer Analytics| Luxury Management| Industrial Management| Project Management| Innovation & Entrepreneurship| Fintech, Finance, and Digital Innovation |  International Full Time MBA

 

HOW TO PARTICIPATE
The participation in this event is reserved for a limited number of companies belonging to the MIP network.

The deadline for registration is March 16, 2020.
Discover how to become an MIP Partner. For further information please contact: Company&PartnerCare@mip.polimi.it

Concetta Lombardo: 342 1479806

Daniela Mataro: 349.8147209

Elisa Zagami: 327.9776213

AMONG COMPANIES ALREADY INTERESTED IN ATTENDING THE EVENT

AMPLIFON| AXPO ITALIA| AUTOMOBILI LAMBORGHINI| BIP| BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM|BTS ITALIA| CAPGEMINI| CEMP| CEVA LOGISTICS ITALIA| COSTA CROCIERE| DANIEI & C. OFFICINE MECCANICHE| GENERALI| GRUPPO NESTLÉ| CARREFOUR ITALIA| HILTI| IBM ITALIA| IKEA PURCHASING SERVICES ITALY| ILLIMITY BANK| KONE| KPMG| L’OREAL| LEROY MERLIN ITALIA| MAILUP GROUP| MARELLI| MARSH| NTT DATA| OTB|SC JOHNSON ITALY| SIA| SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC| SUCCESSORI REDA| TEAMSYSTEM| WHIRLPOOL|

A Smiling Mind for future leaders

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on A Smiling Mind for future leaders

 

It all started with some of us being curious to know more about who everybody is are beyond busy classes and aperitivo time, when you chit-chat with people, randomly passing from one to the other sometimes with small talk, at other times with meaningful conversations that nonetheless stay private. It all started with us needing some real space and some time to bring a small audience together, to be able to speak freely and have some space to share. Back then, the MBA program was starting to be very condensed and most of the time it required so much attention and work in and out of the class that sticking together on a personal basis was a need felt by many. Bringing thoughts and doubts, freely speaking about who we are, why we are doing the Master, what brought some of us to move from faraway continents to Italy and where we are heading to are all topics MBA students would want to put on the table to start an exchange with the people they are seated next to the entire day.

The Smiling Mind Talks came to life out of this malaise as an informal project created by my classmate Victor, an immunologist with a research background all around Europe. At the beginning of the year, right after the first intense weeks of lectures, he proposed that we should have the chance to express ourselves in a direct and open way through our personal stories. Once a week, on a voluntary basis, two of our classmates could make a small chalk-talk or presentation following a rather free format, where they would tell us about themselves, their passions or projects. At the beginning, the number of participants was narrowed down to a few, but as time passed, and people asked to be listed for their talk, the buzz spread amongst us and the audience grew from week to week, until Smiling Mind bloomed into a long-awaited, rather crowded event of the week, anticipated by much joy, beers and food for all.

Thanks to Smiling Mind, I learnt about my Turkish friend Demet and the fears and thrills of her entrepreneurial project. Demet moved from New York to start working on a long-desired plan revolving around women’s empowerment in disenfranchised rural communities, that will enable an ancient form of handcraftsmanship – jewellery filigree – to become known to the broader public. I also had the chance to get closer to Felipe, a business analyst who embarked on the MBA adventure from Chile with his inseparable wife Carolina, with whom he has literally climbed mountains all around the world. Felipe comes from a sporty family and is also a runner, and some years ago he was involved in a major accident. Hearing his story of recovery and resilience created a beautiful energy amongst all of us. The day I did my talk, I myself felt very nervous: I was going to share something private about my life, past experience and future expectations; but the reassuring gaze in my classmates’ eyes made me feel at ease as I concluded towards a feedback session where comments and encouragements made me understand how a moment of spontaneous deep connection can make us improve as human beings and feel more engaged.

In the past weeks we have learned from the innovation course that in order to make a radical change, you need a shift in the meaning of things. In an age where words like mindfulness are often overused and misinterpreted, an activity like the Smiling Mind talks really have an impact on the way we learn, from top-down to team-based interactions that help us create a sense of community stemming from experience-based practices, where we can learn from each other how to become future leaders.

About the author
 Marianna Trimarchi
I am a candidate of the International Full Time MBA at MIP. I have a background in academia as a PhD in Communication and Strategic Analysis and a career as content producer in the Media Industry.I have worked for the Italian Television as author and assistant producer for cultural programs as well as for other media outlets as journalist. I am passionate about understanding complex phenomena particularly related to internationalization and global development from a multidisciplinary perspective.