EMMS, when strategy takes to the field

A true manager is formed not only in the classroom but also (and above all) in direct contact with the most dynamic and innovative companies. This pillar of excellence in managerial training is further confirmed by the two field projects that will involve participants in the 2021-22 edition of EMMS - Executive Master in Marketing & Sales for four months, from February to June 2022. The field projects, which make up the EMMS Challenge, are the final and most demanding part of the 13-month Master, and are the result of the partnership between SDA Bocconi School of Management and ESADE Business School in the homes of the two Schools in Milano, Barcelona and Madrid.

Divided into work groups, the students came into direct contact with two large companies: Henkel, a German chemical multinational that operates in various product sectors, and Comer Industries, a large Italian engineering and mechatronics company with offices in several countries.

“The two field projects focus on strategic marketing actions that directly concern the two companies,” SDA Bocconi EMMS Co-Director Marco Aurelio Sisti told us. “At Henkel, it is about developing an analysis and a plan aimed at sustainability strategies in the adhesives market, one of the company’s Divisions. For Comer Industries, the executive students will carry out a strategic analysis of the competitive performance of a product line, in the off-road automotive business for the farming sector, of a recently acquired company. In the first case it will be with a European focus, while the second will also include the American market”.

The specific value of these hands-on experiences lies in coming into close contact with business and management dynamics and getting to know them very well.. “We should not forget,” Sisti emphasized, “that these are not simulations but real business challenges that these companies are currently facing.” The output of these works, therefore, does not have a simple learning purpose but will be of real use to the companies that have joined the Challenge. For them, it is an opportunity to get an external, different and competent perspective from the executive students. For the participants, this is a great opportunity for real role play that puts to the test their talents as well as the skills acquired and developed during their EMMS program.

SDA Bocconi School of Management