Management Tips

2025-07-28 Pietro De Giovanni, Alberto Grando

Resilience strategies in designing logistics architectures

The degree of vulnerability is determined by the probability of risk events occurring and the severity of their impact; it depends on both the design and complexity of operational architectures (structural vulnerabilities) and on the capabilities a company has developed and consolidated in its core management processes, particularly in operations and supply chain management. When it comes to structural vulnerabilities, the companies analyzed have adopted various strategies to address the challenges related to supply chain design and complexity, focusing on innovative solutions aimed at improving ...

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2025-07-14 Lorenzo Diaferia, Leonardo Maria De Rossi, Gianluca Salviotti

AI in business: assessing and prioritizing areas of intervention

The logic for defining a priority order in the areas of intervention and in the initiatives to be pursued must be based on a broad evaluation, which includes technical, business, regulatory framework, and internal competence elements. Several factors will indeed need to be aligned for the successful outcome of the initiatives. In general, there are two dimensions we can consider to define a priority order. The first dimension looks at the expected business impact of the initiatives and is mainly linked to an assessment of business opportunity. The second dimension instead refers to an assessment ...

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2025-05-23 Leonardo Caporarello

How to negotiate (successfully) in the phygital world

Phygital negotiation refers to a blend of traditional face-to-face and digital-enabled interactions. In fact, digital tools can enhance the negotiation process in both in-person interactions (with data mining, for instance) and virtual ones (online meetings). In essence, phygital negotiations encompass a wide variety of combinations of direct, personal contacts and technology-driven elements such as online collaboration platforms, data collection and analysis tools, and document sharing systems. Advantages and challenges of phygital negotiation Phygital negotiation provides great flexibility in ...

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2025-04-24 Lorenzo Diaferia, Leonardo Maria De Rossi, Gianluca Salviotti

AI in business: how to identify areas of focus and strategic initiatives

Technological and business stimuli from the market must be integrated with the company’s internal strategic directions, which should always serve as the guiding principle for any initiative. It is precisely the search for the intersection between these two dimensions that allows organizations to move to a more concrete level – identifying a set of work areas that respond to clear business problems and opportunities while remaining aligned with what technology can offer. The key questions this phase aims to answer are: • What are the company’s top strategic priorities, and how can AI capabilities ...

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2025-01-27 Management Tips

Ambidexterity: Imagining the Future While Honoring Identity

Tex Willer, the legendary comic book hero, is an unbeatable gunslinger. Although he has no superpowers, his ambidextrous ability to handle two Colt 45s with precision makes him a force to be reckoned with. Companies should draw inspiration from this ambidextrous prowess, which is, in essence, the ability of individuals and organizations to balance innovation with efficiency, to strike an equilibrium between certainty and new possibilities. While it’s essential to avoid overloading – how can one do everything simultaneously and do it well? – it’s equally critical for companies to adopt ...

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2025-01-14 Lorenzo Diaferia, Leonardo Maria De Rossi, Gianluca Salviotti

Exploring the Market and Understanding AI Applications

This phase marks the initial step toward embracing AI. Ideally, the analysis of how to integrate technology into a company should stem solely from business needs, opportunities, and objectives. The ultimate goal should be solving a problem, which will dictate the choice of technology. However, from a pragmatic perspective, technology cannot be utilized without understanding its potential. Therefore, it is crucial to begin with mapping and analyzing the external market environment. One effective method for external market monitoring is conducting exploratory scouting. A technology scouting process ...

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2024-12-16 Fanny Nardi

Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Networking: The Growth Engine of a Startup

The story of AWMS is that of a startup that, within just a few years, transformed an innovative idea into a thriving business, culminating in its strategic acquisition by the Zucchetti Group, a leader in software solutions in Italy. What might seem to be “just” a case of technological growth is, in fact, a lesson in entrepreneurship, strategic vision, and networking - one that can inspire anyone striving to turn a startup into a leading player in a competitive market. From idea to realizationFounded in 2019, AWMS emerged from a collaboration with Electrolux, a Swedish multinational, to address ...

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2024-11-26 Guia Pirotti

When a Company is Driven by an Idea

Purpose-driven organizations direct their economic activities toward a higher goal. In other words, these are organizations whose explicit objective is not only to generate economic value but also to create a positive economic, social, and environmental impact over the medium to long term across the value chain, benefiting all stakeholders. This is particularly crucial in the food & beverage sector, where sustainability and conscious food choices have emerged as primary concerns for the health of individuals and the planet. In this interview with Fabio Brescacin, co-founder and President of EcorNaturaSì ...

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2024-11-05 Mirko Olivieri, Ginevra Testa

Internationalization Strategies of Food Tech Startups: an Empirical Analysis

In recent years, the rapid adoption of digital platforms has transformed the relationship between organizations and markets, creating both new opportunities and challenges, particularly through today's social media-dominated environment. Social media tools not only facilitate interactions between individuals and companies but also promote internationalization, enabling businesses to connect with global customers more quickly and effectively. Through social media, consumers can gather information about products and services offered by companies worldwide, bridging physical distances and facilitating ...

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2024-10-29 Lorenzo Diaferia, Leonardo De Rossi, Gianluca Salviotti

Implementing AI in Business: a Five-Phase Roadmap

We can identify two main approaches to leveraging AI in companies today. The first focuses on products and services, while the second emphasizes processes. In the first approach, AI is used to enhance existing products with new features or to develop entirely new, technology-driven products. In the second, AI acts as a tool for evolving current processes or enabling new processes that were previously unattainable. These two broad application areas can also be examined through a different lens: distinguishing between externally oriented uses –those that impact customer-facing processes and products ...

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