Category: Events

Coronavirus disease – Update on MIP Activities

Posted on | by Giulio Postinci | Leave a Comment on Coronavirus disease – Update on MIP Activities

 

Update 09/03/2020

 

Dear All,

As you already know, yesterday a new Decree was signed and issued by the Italian Government, that, among the others provisions, foresees limitations to the internal mobility within Lombardy Region, unless for proven work or healthy reasons.
The Rector of Politecnico di Milano has promptly published an updated communication.

MIP wants to continue to follow the Government regulations and the indications coming from Politecnico di Milano.
Therefore, we will continue the teaching activities online, as planned and already foreseen, till April 03rd, unless different indications will be provided by the Italian Authorities and Politecnico di Milano.
According to the above, we encourage you to strictly follow the official indications provided by the above Decree and the Italian Ministry of Health, so as to limit travel as much as possible.

As our Rector has written, we can only imagine the feelings of fear and dismay you and your families are experiencing: we encourage you to have a responsible approach in order to face this difficult situation and to follow all the indications provided.

Thank you again for your continuous cooperation.

Best regards,

Vittorio Chiesa – Presidente MIP
Federico Frattini – Dean MIP

 

Update 05/03/2020

 

Dear All,

In consideration of the recent updates regarding the Coronavirus emergency, we would like to confirm that the MIP classes will be delivered online for the next week (9-15 March). In addition, we inform you that we will continue in this way – in alignment with Politecnico di Milano and the relevant Italian Authorities – until the conditions to run activities face-to-face are met.
Therefore, as per the previous communications, we invite you to keep all of the activities in your agenda.

We take this opportunity to thank you for your collaboration.
Best regards,

Vittorio Chiesa – MIP Chairman
Federico Frattini – MIP Dean
 

 

Update 29/02/2020

 

Dear All,

First of all, we would like to thank you for the messages of appreciation sent and for all your collaboration during this week.

As we anticipated in our previous communication, we confirm our decision to provide online as much as possible the lessons and teaching activities (e.g. company testimonials), planned for next week.

With regard to the following week (March 09th – 14th), should the current situation become better, we will update you soon about the approach to use; anyhow, we invite you to keep all of the activities in your agenda.

Best regards,

Vittorio Chiesa – MIP Chairman
Federico Frattini – MIP Dean

 

Update 24/02/2020

 

Dear All,

With regard to the previous communication on the topic and in order to guarantee continuity to the educational and teaching program, we confirm the MIP’s decision to provide online as much as possible the lessons and teaching activities (e.g. company testimonials), planned this week.

As a preventive measure and with the same aim, lessons and activities, planned for next week, will also be carried out online and, therefore, we invite you to keep them in your agenda.

Any individual evaluation tests, originally scheduled in presence at MIP, are to be considered cancelled and, therefore, will be rescheduled.

Should the current emergency, related to Coronavirus, become better and, in accordance with the official communications from the Italian Health Institutions, the Local Authorities and Politecnico di Milano, should be possible to carry out, next week, the teaching activities face-to-face, they will be carried out again at the MIP.

However, there will be the possibility for some students to continue following them online, in consideration of specific reasons notified by them to the respective Programme Officer.

You will agree with us that this is an emergency situation, with which MIP has decided to deal by using the experience, gained over the past years, in providing teaching digitally: we trust, therefore, in your collaboration and support, for which we would like to thank you since now.

Best regards,

Vittorio Chiesa – Presidente MIP
Federico Frattini – Dean MIP

 

Update 23/02/2020

 

Dear All,

With regard to the recent updates on the Coronavirus emergency, in adherence to the official communication by the Rector of Politecnico di Milano, we inform you that face to face classes and activities planned in MIP next week, from February 24th to February 29th, together with the ones planned at external Companies (e.g., company visits), are suspended, while classes and activities carried out online remain confirmed.

Furthermore, while the face to face activities planned for tomorrow, February 24th, are cancelled, please be informed that by tomorrow there will be updates on the activities, currently scheduled face-to-face, which could be carried out online. For the lessons scheduled from Tuesday, February 25th, we kindly ask you to keep them on your agenda waiting for updates on the possibility to organize them online, in order to guarantee continuity to the educational and teaching program.

Thank you for your attention and cooperation.

Best regards,

Vittorio Chiesa – Presidente MIP
Federico Frattini – Dean MIP

A G.I.F.T. for children: engineering and social research to ensure that sport really is for everyone

Posted on | by Tania Tornese | Leave a Comment on A G.I.F.T. for children: engineering and social research to ensure that sport really is for everyone

For a child with a motor disability, sport is synonymous with social exclusion and discomfort. This is contrary to the common understanding, namely that sport paves the way for social inclusion. As such, it is an urgent matter to ensure that sport no longer means social exclusion for children with motor disabilities. This is the ambitious goal of the multidisciplinary research project “enGIneering For sporT for all” (GIFT), one of the winners of the Polisocial Award – 2019 Edition, the annual competition promoted by the Politecnico di Milano geared towards social responsibility, whose key topic this year was sport and social inclusion.

The GIFT project will focus on hemiplegic children attending primary school. This, however, is merely the starting point: the intention is, over time and with further funding, to cover most motor and cognitive disabilities so that sport truly can be for everyone.

The project will focus on two areas of research. One will be technological research with a view to developing innovative orthoses which, by correcting the functional deficit of hemiplegic children, will allow them to start to take part in sports. The other component will be social research, involving families, primary school teachers and sports associations so that these children can start to get involved in earnest, reducing the chasm that currently exists between those labelled “abled” and “disabled”.

The research project – lasting 18 months and coordinated by Prof. Manuela Galli from the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering –was the brainchild of the Engineering For Sport (E4Sport) Interdepartmental Laboratory at the Politecnico di Milano, established thanks to the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering – and it will benefit from the involvement of leading partners including the La Nostra Famiglia Association – IRCCS “Eugenio Medea”, the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, ITOP, BTS, Math & Sport, Edumoto, Yuki Onlus and various sports associations.

The Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering will be on the front lines, dealing with the evaluation of the social and economic impact generated by the GIFT project by developing a specific methodology that allows them to measure the “value” generated by sports and sports-related activities. The hope is that this methodology will be applicable to the sports ecosystem as a whole, as well as the various actors therein, e.g. sports associations, amateur clubs, large professional clubs and leagues.

“Understanding how sports and sports-related activities generate value for society and for the economic-productive system is a priority nowadays in the approach of promoting a radical change of perspective, recognising that sports and sports-related activities are not just fun, but rather an important investment – that must be understood and supported – for the wellbeing of society as a whole and its competitiveness over time,” explains Emanuele Lettieri, Full Professor of Accounting, Finance & Control and project manager of the GIFT project, “and it is not surprising that important institutions such as UEFA, FIGC and CONI have launched a number of projects in this vein, considering the measure of the value created by sports and sports-related activities to be a crucial piece of information for developing new policies and initiatives. And the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering is committed to making its contribution, together with the E4Sport Interdepartmental Laboratory”.

The challenge of circularity in extended supply chains

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on The challenge of circularity in extended supply chains

Awareness around the environmental impact of products and processes and moving towards the sustainable use of natural resources is increasing in Europe. As such, the circular economy paradigm is obtaining even more success.

Based on this, the H2020 FENIX project, of which the Politecnico di Milano is a partner, aims to develop a new set of business models and industrial strategies with a view to facilitating circular products and services.

Three pilot plants will be established thanks to the development of sustainable processes for the combined treatment of different types of e-waste (e.g. printed circuit boards):

1) A modular, multi-material, reconfigurable pilot plant producing metallic powders for additive manufacturing processes
2) A modular, multi-material, reconfigurable pilot plant producing 3D printed gems
3) A modular, multi-material, reconfigurable pilot plant producing advanced filaments for 3D printing processes

The three pilot plants will be designed in such a way as to exploit Industry 4.0 solutions (e.g. smart sensors) which are able to send online data in real time through dedicated websites developed by FENIX.

The result of this is that production capacity will be shareable amongst the different actors involved in very different supply chains, by encouraging the involvement of end users (both private users and companies) in industrial processes and offering new services to companies for monitoring and controlling industrial plants.

The scientific role of the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering takes many forms. Firstly, the identification of new circular business models able to make use of pilot plants developed in FENIX. Secondly, the assessment of how Industry 4.0 technologies could support circular processes, specifically those related to the disassembly of Printed Circuit Boards (PCB). Finally, the Department is responsible for the dissemination and communication of the FENIX project and the management of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) strategies.

One of the initiatives promoted by the Department related with FENIX involves collecting obsolete mobiles/smartphones. The mobile phones will be disassembled by the Industry 4.0 Lab in order to facilitate the recovery of valuable materials from electronic components through eco-friendly chemical processes. These materials, once transformed into metal powders, will be reused in additive manufacturing processes.

FENIX is also promoting a set of success stories related to the adoption of circular practices in different industrial sectors. The goal is to use real-world examples to demonstrate that the adoption of circular economy principles will allow for the creation of more sustainable supply chains by improving quality, market value and the alternative exploitation of secondary materials.

Finally, FENIX aims to integrate Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) for the efficient recovery of secondary resources within the same industrial plant. FENIX will consider three types of KETs:
1) Advanced production systems: a wide number of sensors will be embedded in each module that makes up the FENIX pilot plant.
2) Industrial bio-technologies: since the initial stages, FENIX has taken into account the use of biometallurgy for the sustainable recovery of materials from different types of waste.
3) Nanotechnologies: this type of materials technology allows for an improvement ofmaterials’ mechanical properties, thermal and electrical conductivity and overall functional properties.

FENIX (Future business models for the Efficient recovery of Natural and Industrial secondary resources in eXtended supply chain contexts)

CleanTech Challenge Italy

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on CleanTech Challenge Italy

 

MIP is the Business School, with exclusivity for Italy, which has been appointed to organise the CleanTech Challenge Italy, the Italian stage of this international competition dedicated to the world of green and clean technologies overseen by the London Business School (LBS) and University College London (UCL).

The challenge is to develop innovative ideas for clean technology, from the design stage to obtaining the funding to realise the project.

The CleanTech Challenge is a global innovation and business plan competition, open to students and alumni from the best universities and business school across the globe, to recognise cleantech ideas which have the following characteristics:
– are innovative and outside of the box
– have business potential
– will have a positive impact on the environment

The deadline for students and alumni to present their ideas is 1 March 2020. The finalists’ projects will be presented at MIP’s main building on 3 and 4 April 2020.

At the end of the Italian round, Gianluca Spina Association, a not-for-profit association created for the advancement of innovative educational projects championed by MIP’s former President and Dean, who died prematurely in 2015, will award:

– €5,000 to the winner team of CleanTech Challenge

– €3,000 to the group that will support the plastic reduction in the enviroment, attending to the #plastic challenge (this prize can’t be assigned to the CleanTech Challenge winner team).

The winners will also represent Italy at the CleanTech Challenge finals, held at London Business School on 23 and 24 April 2020, where the prize is £10,000.

The deadline for students and alumni to present their ideas is 1 March 2020 within 23:59. Entrants must provide the 300 words abstract via email to CleantechChallenge2020@mip.polimi.it.
To obtain further information on the scheduling and the competition’s regulations, register HERE

Educating, innovating, adapting to a changing environment: the future of MIP

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on Educating, innovating, adapting to a changing environment: the future of MIP

Vittorio Chiesa and Federico Frattini, recently appointed respectively President and Dean, talk about changes, strategy and goals of Politecnico di Milano’s Graduate School of Business

 

After celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2019, MIP began 2020 under the sign of change. Starting from the top. Vittorio Chiesa and Federico Frattini are now respectively holding the positions of President and Dean.

While the people holding positions of responsibility have changed, the goals of the Business School remain the same: offering its students all the tools to compete in an increasingly complex job market. But, to do that, it’s necessary to develop new offerings and new strategies. «The business school scenario has changed», Vittorio Chiesa tells us. «The context in which we act has evolved, it has become more competitive and challenged the traditional educational model, revealing all its limits». It’s a reality that, as Federico Frattini reaffirms, «requires a rethinking of the way the educational offering is provided, increasingly oriented towards lifelong learning».

 

Digitalization that looks to the world

New contents, different formats, lifelong learning: these are the keywords that sum up the MIP guidelines, and which in turn also indicate the challenges faced. «The first involves innovation in the ways education takes place», explains Frattini. «We want to stimulate a reflection on the physical spaces in which we educate our students. The campus of the future is distributed, consisting of smaller, more agile and flexible spaces. It’s an evolution made possible by digital technologies. With this in mind we must ask ourselves about the nature of formats: are they correct? Can they become more integrated with the professional and private lives of our students? We have already experimented with projects in this field, for example with Flexa, but we must do even more with a view to continuous learning».
Digitalization, on the other hand, is one of the two strategic axes that led to the growth of MIP in recent years. «The other», says Vittorio Chiesa, «is internationalization. Our classes welcome students from the entire world. But we must not stop here: we must broaden our geographical scope. And if on one hand we can count on a city, Milan, which can now boast the same appeal of the biggest and most modern European capitals, on the other it also up to us to expand our international reach. The second challenge is this».

 

Together with companies education is continuous

The third and last challenge, instead, relates to the theme of continuing education: «The concept of alumnus itself must be rethought», says Federico Frattini. «Until not long ago, an educational programme like a Master’s ended and students began to work. Today this passage is no longer so clear: there’s a continuous need for education and training, for this reason teaching must be rethought with this in mind. And it’s for this reason that we can’t ignore the development of critical skills and the ability to know how to learn in our students».

The corporate nature of MIP itself offers a privileged point of view on world of work and on the needs of companies, as President Chiesa explains: «MIP is a non-profit joint stock company. Sitting on the MIP board of directors of MIP are numerous leading Italian and international companies. We have noticed that their presence has translated into a multiplication of the value of our offering, always in step with the requests that come from the world of work».

 

A competitive business school

So the challenges are clear. As is the future strategy. «Business education finds itself in a highly competitive context», concludes Federico Frattini. «A business school is in all respects a company subject to strong competitive pressures, determined by the entry of new competitors on the market and accelerated by digitalization. Our priority is to implement a management style for the school focused on increasingly greater professionalization. That can be done by involving people with specific capabilities and skills. Competitiveness, professionalism and speed of action are three keywords for the future of MIP».

Educating, innovating, adapting to a changing environment: the future of MIP

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on Educating, innovating, adapting to a changing environment: the future of MIP

Vittorio Chiesa and Federico Frattini, recently appointed respectively President and Dean, talk about changes, strategy and goals of Politecnico di Milano’s Graduate School of Business

 

After celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2019, MIP began 2020 under the sign of change. Starting from the top. Vittorio Chiesa and Federico Frattini are now respectively holding the positions of President and Dean.

While the people holding positions of responsibility have changed, the goals of the Business School remain the same: offering its students all the tools to compete in an increasingly complex job market. But, to do that, it’s necessary to develop new offerings and new strategies. «The business school scenario has changed», Vittorio Chiesa tells us. «The context in which we act has evolved, it has become more competitive and challenged the traditional educational model, revealing all its limits». It’s a reality that, as Federico Frattini reaffirms, «requires a rethinking of the way the educational offering is provided, increasingly oriented towards lifelong learning».

 

Digitalization that looks to the world

New contents, different formats, lifelong learning: these are the keywords that sum up the MIP guidelines, and which in turn also indicate the challenges faced. «The first involves innovation in the ways education takes place», explains Frattini. «We want to stimulate a reflection on the physical spaces in which we educate our students. The campus of the future is distributed, consisting of smaller, more agile and flexible spaces. It’s an evolution made possible by digital technologies. With this in mind we must ask ourselves about the nature of formats: are they correct? Can they become more integrated with the professional and private lives of our students? We have already experimented with projects in this field, for example with Flexa, but we must do even more with a view to continuous learning».
Digitalization, on the other hand, is one of the two strategic axes that led to the growth of MIP in recent years. «The other», says Vittorio Chiesa, «is internationalization. Our classes welcome students from the entire world. But we must not stop here: we must broaden our geographical scope. And if on one hand we can count on a city, Milan, which can now boast the same appeal of the biggest and most modern European capitals, on the other it also up to us to expand our international reach. The second challenge is this».

 

Together with companies education is continuous

The third and last challenge, instead, relates to the theme of continuing education: «The concept of alumnus itself must be rethought», says Federico Frattini. «Until not long ago, an educational programme like a Master’s ended and students began to work. Today this passage is no longer so clear: there’s a continuous need for education and training, for this reason teaching must be rethought with this in mind. And it’s for this reason that we can’t ignore the development of critical skills and the ability to know how to learn in our students».

The corporate nature of MIP itself offers a privileged point of view on world of work and on the needs of companies, as President Chiesa explains: «MIP is a non-profit joint stock company. Sitting on the MIP board of directors of MIP are numerous leading Italian and international companies. We have noticed that their presence has translated into a multiplication of the value of our offering, always in step with the requests that come from the world of work».

 

A competitive business school

So the challenges are clear. As is the future strategy. «Business education finds itself in a highly competitive context», concludes Federico Frattini. «A business school is in all respects a company subject to strong competitive pressures, determined by the entry of new competitors on the market and accelerated by digitalization. Our priority is to implement a management style for the school focused on increasingly greater professionalization. That can be done by involving people with specific capabilities and skills. Competitiveness, professionalism and speed of action are three keywords for the future of MIP».

 

 

 

 

The product isn’t enough. B2B and the challenge of the digital transformation

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on The product isn’t enough. B2B and the challenge of the digital transformation

Digital also revolutionizes the relationship between supplier and customer. The keywords of companies thus become marketing and service

Marketing and B2B companies: a new, but already essential, combination. Until recently it was the commercial department that was responsible both for the establishment of a reputation with companies and the conversion of those companies into customers. With the digital transformation, the landscape has changed. Italian companies, historically not very attuned to marketing, have suddenly become aware of its importance.
Giuliano Noci, Professor of Strategy and Marketing at Politecnico di Milano, explains this to us: «The change derives from two elements. One is of a technological nature, the other tied to a decline in the results of traditional commercial networks».

Technology requires a closer relationship with the customer

The technological component that requires B2B companies to focus on marketing involves two aspects: «First of all, it is no longer enough for a product to be technologically advanced. To be attractive, it must work in a certain way, according to the customer’s expectations», says Noci. «The relationship between supplier and customer is revolutionized, where the latter doesn’t so much buy the product, but the service associated with it. Traditionally, B2B companies have always boasted a great knowledge of what they sold, which however didn’t correspond to an equally thorough knowledge of the customer and their needs. Marketing is today the tool with which to establish this new intimacy. And it’s here that the second element tied to the technological aspect comes into play: the boundaries of competition are changing. Organic and systemic analyses of the business context, competitors and customers become crucial. Only by knowing all these factors is it possible to intercept trends and respond to the needs of customers, supplying them services that otherwise would be provided by someone else».

The relationship, before the transaction

On the other hand, the performance of commercial networks on which companies have relied until now aren’t comparable to what they once were. This requires a strategic rethink, according to Noci: «The industrial buyer adopts behaviours similar to those of private individuals who buy online. They build up a network of possible purchasing alternatives and only afterwards meet the supplier. This means that you need to think about building an omnichannel system, starting from the classic web site, and also encompassing social media, like LinkedIn. To manage all these new elements, the integration between marketing and commercial departments becomes unavoidable, so much so that function of the latter increasingly resembles that of advisor to customers».
These changes require companies to alter operational paradigms: «The model to look towards will no longer be transactional, but relational, because new technologies sublimate the human dimension. Likewise, one doesn’t need to think in terms of product, but of service. If a company concentrates solely on the product, it can generate operating margins only on that, while the real challenge and the real earnings are tied to services connected to the product itself.
It takes courage, especially for small companies, which can take advantage of greater flexibility: step out from your comfort zone and understand how to position yourselves in a network of businesses offering services», advises Noci.

For managers the challenge is cultural

In this process, managerial figures become fundamental. «They don’t just have to be extremely competent and possess marketing and strategic skills. Since they must guide companies through a change that is above all cultural, they must boast great leadership skills, with allows their lead to also be followed by those who have worked in a different context for many years» concludes Noci. In this perspective, the short courses in the B2B marketing area at MIP have the goal of providing concrete tools to cope with the growing importance of the digital transformation.

 

With digital platforms, the manager becomes an innovation designer

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on With digital platforms, the manager becomes an innovation designer

In an increasingly digital context, the role of the manager will resemble that of an architect: a more charismatic and less operational figure, capable of developing visions and building relations

 

Digital transformation and management of innovation: what is happening in these two areas, so important for the future of companies? It was the theme of the workshop entitled Digital transformation and Innovation Management: Opening up the Black Box, held 19 and 20 December at Politecnico di Milano. Among the academics who took part, there was also Professor Carmelo Cennamo, of the Copenhagen Business School. «In an increasingly digital context, the manager’s role will increasingly resemble that of the architect» says Cennamo. «In an economy based on digital platforms, they will have the task of designing new relational architectures with other companies. They will have to evaluate whether it makes sense for the company to use their own platform or to rely on third parties, to understand what role and what strategic position their company must take on within this structure. It is an evolution that brings the figure of the manager closer to that of designer, making it less operational. But the manager remains a charismatic figure, able to develop visions and imagine new configurations in the value system».

Modularity, complementarity, flexibility

The key to this change is digital platforms. «They are platform-based ecosystems that function via relational structures, where companies are interdependent and share a set of related activities», explains Cennamo. Digital platforms have two main characteristics: «The first is modularity. It means that the various activities within a platform can be complementary, but nonetheless remain independent. The second element is indeed complementarity. Coordination is thus encouraged, which takes place because of the peculiarities of this system. It’s a world where classical contractual relationships disappear, in the name of greater flexibility».

Large and small face the test of disruption

A change of this nature has significant repercussions on all companies, big and small. «The potential is absolutely disruptive» says Cennamo. «We are witnessing a progressive disintermediation, which brings together previously disconnected actors. Platforms help to put an offer directly on the market, thus creating a liquid market that easily overcomes the limits of the traditional one». For small businesses the advantage is considerable: «It’s possible to go past local markets, reaching an immensely broader range of potential customers». For larges companies, especially incumbents who have always offered premium type services, things are a bit different. «Let’s take the example of high-end hotels, which enjoyed privileged relationships with their customers. For them, a more liquid market also meant a more transparent and competitive market. And this entailed a certain difficulty. But the same goes for banks, which look with apprehension at the advent of fintech companies. With digital platforms, those who had no assets managed to find value».

The importance of “vision” for the manager

From the digital platform to cognitive enterprises, the distance isn’t far. «The company has always been a structure that received inputs and sent out outputs, often material. Today the raw material to be processed is data, fundamental for those who want to exploit technologies like big data, machine learning, artificial intelligence… The evolution is this. However, there are two risks: on one hand, small companies may find themselves with a volume of data that is too small, insufficient for the technologies we have mentioned. They could thus be forced to rely on someone else, a bigger player. On the other hand, managers must not blindly rely on data processed by artificial intelligence. Because you also must know how to interpret this data, and to read it critically. A real manager will never be able to do without their capabilities of strategic vision», concludes Cennamo.

 

Are you ready for the FLEXA experience?

Posted on | by albe@mip.polimi.it | Leave a Comment on Are you ready for the FLEXA experience?

 

Digital innovation is one of the central themes at our School. It all started with the launch of the Flex EMBA, the first Executive MBA digitally delivered, in 2014 and since then our engagement in innovating education has skyrocketed. Indeed, we have just launched FLEXA, the innovative Artificial Intelligence platform developed in partnership with Microsoft to ensure personalized continuous learning to students, Alumni and – soon – to professionals.

How does it work?

FLEXA assesses your spectrum of hard, soft and digital skills to determine where there are gaps to be filled and sets off down the route towards your professional objectives.
Then, taking into account the skill gap to be fixed, the amount of time you have at your disposal and your interests, FLEXA provide you with a range of content designed specifically to improve your knowledge, selecting only high-quality material from certified sources like digital content, events and webinars.

“The wide variety of articles and sources provided by FLEXA is helping me to strengthen my management skills; reading stimulating articles, and reflecting upon the insights given by leaders from across the world, is an enriching experience, that enables me to improve my knowledge of management”, explains Alessandro Fadda, MIP Alumnus and FLEXA user.

Yet, FLEXA offers much more.
Students, for example, can also enrich their career development path exploiting FLEXA potentialities, showing part or all of their profile to recruiting companies, that will come soon on FLEXA, to see job vacancies and to receive indications regarding which content to draw on to make their profile more interesting for a specific company.
This is made more effective by the engagement of companies, that can register on FLEXA to publish open job positions, for which the platform delivers a list of suitable candidates, based either on adjustable filters of the company’s choosing.

Start today your FLEXA experience today, join the platform!

Is a specialist Master’s degree or an MBA better?

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on Is a specialist Master’s degree or an MBA better?

There’s no answer that’s right for everyone. Before deciding, it’s good to always take two key factors into consideration: one’s professional experience and the objective to be achieved

 

Finding your bearings in the midst of a vast educational offering like that represented by Masters’ degrees can be daunting. Especially if you don’t have a clear understanding of the premises on which Master’s degrees themselves are based, and if you don’t have a clear idea of the objective you want to achieve. Sometimes there are doubts about choosing between two paths, both valid but very different from each other: specialist Master’s degrees and MBAs. How to choose between them?

Your curriculum makes the difference

It’s a question to which Greta Maiocchi, Head of Marketing & Recruitment at MiP-Politecnico di Milano, answers: «The first big difference is given by one’s professional expertise. The specialist Master’s degree is similar to the Master of Science, that is to the specialist degree and therefore, is mainly for those who have just finished a three-year university programme or who has recently started to work. To be eligible for an MBA programme it is instead necessary to have at least three years of work experience».

And it is precisely those who have more experience who, at times, make an error in assessment: «An increasing number of people who have even four or five years of seniority ask us to enrol in a specialist Master’s programme. The problem is that they come to the classroom with a much higher level of knowledge than other participants. These are situations we try to avoid», explains Maiocchi.

A vertical and a horizontal Master’s degree

The second big difference instead, involves the subjects addressed. The specialist Master’s degree has a vertical approach, explains Maiocchi: «It can be on luxury, on supply chains, on energy management, on big data. In short, it develops skills thanks to which one can become skilled in a specific environment or function. Generally, it is chosen by young people who want to specialize». It’s quite different for MBAs, which have a generalist approach and cover all the subject matters useful for learning those skills that can then be applied in a strategic context. «The goal in this case – explains Maiocchi – is to provide an overview of how an organization works, to be able to prepare for a high-level management position. A participant in one of our MBAs in 2009 is today vice president of an important financial institution. He had just four years of work experience at the time».

Soft skills above all

Because among the main objectives of the MBA are the ability to manage change and people, soft skills take on a predominant weight, already in the selection phase. «In addition to four written tests, in which we verify the analytical skills, we also carry out long interviews in which we evaluate the candidate’s aptitude for problem solving, to be proactive, to manage stress. Empathetic and communicative skills are important: in MBA programmes you learn a lot from others. Somebody who has nothing to offer to their classmates isn’t our ideal candidate. But they’re also not the ideal candidate of any company, if their goal is to become a leader».

An ideal candidate, instead, may be one who also has creative qualities: «Lately we have had participants who stand out from an artistic point of view, people with a degree in economics who, for example, went on to become video makers. They had an incredible ability to visualize results and objectives. For this reason, we also look with great interest at the creative and innovative part».

As Maiocchi reiterates, it then becomes extremely important to develop those skills that make the difference for companies: «You need to know how to adapt to change and to stimulate it. The world moves quickly, and it offers constantly evolving opportunities and challenges. The job of a good leader also involves guiding their team through these processes. Lastly, it’s essential to know how to work for projects. The entire MBA is structured for projects: more than a discipline, it’s a real methodology that can be applied to a number of sectors».