Business Administration

The course provides an overview of the fashion system and an in-depth understanding of the strategic, organizational and managerial features of fashion companies, both in the high end and in the mass market. Main topics addressed in the course are: what is fashion, which are the fashion related sectors, and what are the differences between fashion and luxury; how creativity and management do integrate in fashion and luxury companies; how to carry out an industry analysis: strategic features of fashion companies and main business models in fashion and their evolution; the role of the textile sector and the origin of trends: where do they come from and how do they spread; fashion history and country branding: why France, Italy and US became leaders and which are the new centers for fashion; customer segmentation: how to engage the customers from new senior to generation Z; brand positioning in fashion: how to become a lifestyle brand; and key processes and main roles in fashion: product strategy and merchandising, distribution and omnichannel management, and communication and PR in the digital era. This course recommends background knowledge on some basic concepts on corporate and competitive strategy (such as industry analysis, consumer segmentation, growth strategies, and SWOT analysis) as a prerequisite.

This course develops a framework for understanding how taxes affect day-to-day lives and how to be tax efficient at every stage of life. Discussion topics include how much tax is paid in everyday life; taxes based on where you live and work, shopping and luxury taxes; investment taxes; entertainment taxes (alcohol, cigarettes, other kinds of fun), and estate and inheritance tax.

This course is designed to improve students' decision making abilities, as well as their ability to predict and influence the behavior of others—employees, consumers, stakeholders, etc. Students learn potential errors and biases in their judgment and decision making, and strategies to overcome barriers to decision making. The course analyzes empirical research and strategies drawn from multiple disciplines, including cognitive psychology, behavioral economics, social psychology, and organizational behavior. Topics include common biases, heuristics, escalation of commitment, group decision making, influence, behavior change, etc.

This integrative course provides the knowledge and skills necessary to formulate, implement, and evaluate marketing strategies to solve problems in a dynamic global business environment through critical analysis of theories and application.

This course examines fundamental principles of financial accounting for the purposes of external reporting. The course starts with a discussion of the framework of financial accounting: its nature, intents, and purposes, and the context and environment in which it operates. This includes, and eventually entails, the need for, and various sources of, accounting regulation and accounting standards. The course unpacks various core financial accounting concepts and conventions, but the course also looks into the processes used to record, summarize, and present financial accounting information as well as, crucially, its interpretation. This course focuses on the preparation, interpretation, and limitations of company financial statements for external reporting, and the regulatory framework in which financial reports are prepared.