20237 - MANAGEMENT OF FASHION AND LUXURY COMPANIES
Course taught in English
Class taught fully online
Class 32 is reserved to exchange incoming students
Synchronous Blended: Lezioni erogate in modalità sincrona in aula (max 1 ora per credito online sincrona)
To successfully complete the course a basic knowledge in marketing and general management is strongly suggested.
The course provides an overview of the global luxury and fashion business and an in-depth understanding of market drivers, business models and strategic brand management practices. We assume that the key importance of product and stylistic/aesthetic qualities, the short business cycle, the fickleness of consumers, the value chain dispersed at global level are all elements making positioning and growth strategies in these sectors different with respect to other industries in FMCG, requiring specific skills and competencies. Current managerial challenges will be addressed such as how to build symbolic brand value, how to design immersive customer experiences, how to extend the brand in distant product categories, how to storytell sustainability. The course allows students to understand key roles in these industries such as the merchandiser, the retail manager, the brand manager and the licensing manager.
Main topics covered in the course are:
- Fashion and luxury business segmentation.
- Brand identity management.
- Key business process management (product development, merchandising and buying, supply chain and sustainability, channel management, communication).
- Customer experience design.
- Brand and line extension.
- Licensing.
- Turnaround and rebranding strategies.
- Identify the key positioning drivers in fashion and assimilate differences in how companies compete and make money in different segments (luxury, premium, mass).
- Recognise key activities and roles within symbol-intensive processes (product, retail, communication) and learn the appropriate language and terminology.
- Evaluate the brand equity content and its potential for extension into new segments and product categories (line and brand extension).
- Develop the tools and skills necessary to understand and develop strategic branding, understand how trends such as sustainabilty will impact the brand reputation and re-branding strategies for fashion and experience based companies.
- Work in a team developing industry-based projects.
- Understand and speak the language of fashion designers, merchandisers, brand managers
- Understand the drivers for growth and profitability in fashion and luxury
- Carry out a merchandising plan, a transmedia communication plan, a customer experience journey
- Face-to-face lectures
- Online lectures
- Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
- Exercises (exercises, database, software etc.)
- Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)
- Group assignments
- Interactive class activities on campus/online (role playing, business game, simulation, online forum, instant polls)
- Guest speakers support student's learning on specific and technical topics such as merchandising and buying, customer experience design, digital strategies
- Exercises in class allow students to practice on tools and frameworks.
- The course relies heavily on case materials and the analysis and discussion of the cases forms the primary class activity. Preparation of the cases and participation in the discussion are critical to the learning process and to the success of the class as a whole in effectively diagnosing problems and reaching recommendations.
- Attending students carry out one group assignment aimed at putting into practice methodologies of product and brand management as learned in class.
Continuous assessment | Partial exams | General exam | |
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- The written individual exam tests students' knowledge and understanding of the industry key drivers, business models, key success factors and operational strategies in product, retail and communication. It accounts for 60% of the final grade. Students must achieve a pass (> 18/30) in the individual written test in order to pass the final exam even if the group assignment is a pass
- The group assignment tests students' capability to work as a team and carry out a creative-inspired project. It accounts for 40% of the final grade. A peer evaluation included.
The written individual exam tests students knowledge and understanding of the industry key drivers, business models, key success factors and operational strategies in product, retail and communication. It accounts for 100% of the final grade.
- E.CORBELLINI, S. SAVIOLO, Management in fashion and luxury companies, ETAS, 2009 (Chapters 1,2,3,6,7,9,10,11,12,13,14).
- S.SAVIOLO (edited by), Signature experience in fashion and luxury, Bocconi University Press, 2018 (Chapters 1,2,3,4,5,6,11).
- E.CORBELLINI, S. SAVIOLO, Management in fashion and luxury companies, ETAS, 2009 (all chapters).
- A.MARAZZA S. SAVIOLO, Lifestyle brands. A guide to aspirational marketing, Palgrave McMillan, 2012 (all chapters).
- S.SAVIOLO (edited by), Signature experience in fashion and luxury, Bocconi University Press, 2018 (all chapters).