The specific availability for this course is not currently known. If you would like to know if this course will be offered during your session, please contact us.
Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) are the pillars of the
Italian economic system, but little is known about their main characteristics;
how they are run, how they cooperate and how they compete in the markets.
By the end of the course students will be able to identify
the issues of managing SME’s, understand general principles and theories of
business strategy relating to SME’s. Students will also study and analyze
Italian industrial districts, or local clusters of firms, formed by SME’s and
similar organizations.
A part of the course focuses on direct contact with local
Milanese businesses and industries including textiles and furniture through
half-day or full-day field trips. These visits are crucial to the understanding of the small
business phenomenon in Italy.
The visits will consist of a presentation of the business,
inspection of facilities and opportunities for students to interview staff of
the SME. Students may decide to write a final project based on one or more
businesses visited during the course.
