Arts and Luxury Management
The arts and luxury industries are growing every day. Companies are investing to find ways to keep business profitable while satisfying the complex needs of an expanding and increasingly sophisticated set of demands. Understanding the management principles and industry practices particular to these sectors is fundamental for success and sustainability in the long run. This track offers a cutting-edge approach by tailoring management theories to the intrinsic peculiarities of the arts and luxury domains while connecting you with international experts.
Specific Courses
How are cultural organisations responding to the needs of emerging cultural practitioners? How are public and private interests intersecting in shaping the cultural fabric of our society? How does money flow in the notoriously complex, non-transparent arts sector? The course introduces key players in the cultural industries and the most pressing management challenges they face today. It will offer students an insight into best industry practices in the area of governance, strategy, fundraising, and sustainability, whilst offering tools to understand the needs of audiences and diverse communities served by the sector. The course will draw from the experience of a diverse group of practitioners invited to host guest lectures, as well as case studies outlining ongoing, open challenges. It will provide students with practical solutions and a critical framework to face the real-life challenges they are likely to encounter throughout a career in the arts.
This course explores the role of art with a particular focus on art as a financial asset. The course will give students insights into the industry and show how financial services and wealth management can leverage on the growing importance of art as an asset class. By analyzing the practical, legal, operational and financial characteristics of the art market, the course will highlight the real-world challenges and complexities that entrepreneurs face as they navigate the art industry.
Is this track for you?
If you have a passion for art and luxury products, and if you want to learn how to make the work of craftsmen and artists known to the public while making a business profitable and sustainable, this track is for you. You will learn how to apply the most innovative management theories to the peculiarities of these industries while interacting with experts and managers in the field.
Digital Transformation
Digital transformation is quickly changing how private businesses and public institutions organize and operate daily business activities. This track will help you become a future business leader by equipping you with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to tackle the challenges of digitalization in a changing business landscape.
Specific Course
This course explores the intersection between finance and technology and enables students to comprehend how technology is transforming the finance industry. The main emphasis of this course is the in-depth analysis of the digitalization in finance from the perspective of a company. Students will first learn about key technological trends including blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies, and artificial intelligence in finance. The course will then focus on two main areas affected by technological transformation: Lending and Payments. Finally, students will learn about challenger banks that are disrupting the financial service industry and that offer new opportunities for client firms. The course will be taught relying heavily on in-class discussions and case studies taking into account today’s rapidly changing business environment.
Is this track for you?
If you enjoy taking courses and workshops in digital finance, digital marketing, or in artificial intelligence and would like some hands-on experience in digital transformation by working on real-world projects, this track is the right one for you. It will enable you to learn about digitalization from different perspectives.
Business and Sustainability
On the Business and Sustainability track, you will learn about the social and environmental challenges that multinational corporations face daily. Track-specific courses will introduce you to the business approach to climate change and how to deal with severe and often unforeseeable consequences for human life and business conduct.
Specific Courses
Understanding Environmental Issues: The Water Perspective
Using practical examples from Ticino and Switzerland, this course will expose students to the effects that climate change is having on (fresh)water resources and on the water cycle in general. Each specific example will show how climate change driven modifications of the water cycle affects not only the functioning and the ecology of the system at hand (e.g., lake, river, groundwater reservoir, or glacier), but also their management and usage and therefore us. For each example, students will also investigate and critically assess the different attempts put in place to mitigate or minimize such changes.
Corporate Climate Action: Business Responses to Climate Change
This course will provide students with a comprehensive introduction to the business response to climate change. Climate change is a major challenge for business and society, with severe and often unforeseeable consequences for human life and business conduct. Companies worldwide are increasingly asked to contribute to a climate-resilient future by reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. In this course, students are introduced to the theoretical foundations of carbon accounting and management. Equipped with the fundamental understanding of how and where greenhouse gas emissions emerge from corporate activities, students will examine various mitigation measures, including the role of cap-and-trade programs, carbon offsetting, and capture. The long-term and financially sustainable minimization of corporate emissions calls for students' critical reflection on the potential and limitations of carbon management programs. Thus, students will learn about the risk of greenwashing and the need to analyze the quality of offsetting schemes. The course outlook sheds light on future trends, such as the impact of distributive ledger technology and its potential for corporate climate action and the governance of carbon markets.
Is this track for you?
If you are curious about what makes multinational corporations sustainable, have a global mindset, and are committed to working in multicultural teams, you will get the most out of this track. Our partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) lets you see into the work of a UN agency during a six-week practical experience. After finishing this track, you’ll be set for a career at the intersection of business and international organizations.
