In today's industrial context, two of the most widespread phenomena among manufacturers concern digital transformation and the openness to the sale of specialized services with high value added. These phenomena are at the basis of the main innovative processes ongoing in business markets. The course aims to closely observe these two phenomena that if occurring simultaneously take the name of 'Digital Servitization'.

In particular, the course is split into two main parts:

• Part I (digital innovation): There are many and continuously growing digital technologies and applications available for companies to cope with the dynamism of constantly changing industrial markets, from virtual or augmented reality to cyber-security to advanced sensors. The educational objective of the first (introductory) part of the course is to convey knowledge to students on the opportunities offered by digitalization in terms of growth and innovation. At the same time, the course aims at developing analytical tools to fully understand difficulties and obstacles of digital transformation. The ultimate goal is to provide organizational skills to effectively interpret digitalization in a business context.
• Part II (servitization): The adoption of digital tools, such as Industrial Internet of Things, Cloud Systems or Big Data Analytics tools, increasingly offers opportunities for manufacturers to innovate their business offering through advanced digital service packages. The educational objective of this second part of the course is to help students in the learning path about Digital Servitization, its origins, and its potential and managerial implications for an aware management of service processes.

I part (digitalization):

New techologies and digital tools

Areas of application, opportunities, and innovation fields

Intra- and inter-organizational impacts

II part (servitization):

The servitization business model

• How services change B2B relationships
• Between servitization and deservitization
• Rethinking the business model

Servitization and digitalization

• Defining digital servitization
• Main advantages and shortcomings

Impacts of digital servitization in the business network

• Changes along the supply chain
• Tehcnological alignment of actors in the service ecosystem
• How digital services generate value for the industrial customer

Organizational asset for digital servitization

• Rethinking functions, departments, and organizational structure
• Intra- and inter-functional dynamics analysis
• The role of leadership

Digital servitization from an individual perspective

• Internal learnig processes
• Adjustments in the selling approach  
• Original skills and new professional figures

Knowledge and understanding: Students should acquire adequate knowledge and effective understanding of the prevailing theoretical models developed in the field of digital and service innovation. The educational working methods to achieve such results include: lectures, in-class speeches from experts, analysis and discussions of business cases and seminars.

Applying knowledge and understanding: Students should become able to apply the acquired knowledge, understand and solve emerging problems during digital and service innovation processes. The educational working methods to achieve such results include: lectures, in-class speeches from experts, analysis and discussion of business cases.

Making judgements: Students should become able to use the acquired knowledge at the conceptual and operational level demonstrating autonomous evaluation and assessment skills. The educational working methods to achieve such results include: lectures, in-class speeches from experts, analysis and discussion of business cases, team works, and seminars.

Communication skills: Students should acquire the discipline technical language to communicate clearly and unambiguously with experts in the field (managers, academics, ...). The educational working methods to achieve such results include: lectures, in-class speeches from experts, analysis and discussion of business cases, team works, and seminars.

Learning skills: Students should develop adequate learning skills that allow them to independently further explore the main issues of the discipline, especially in the working contexts in which they will operate. The educational working methods to achieve such results include: lectures, in-class speeches from experts, analysis and discussion of business cases, team works, and seminars.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Analysis and discussion of business cases and (optional) development of team works on a real case study; in-class speeches from experts as managers, entrepreneurs, and professionals.

Teaching

The course offers various teaching methods, including lectures, in-class speeches from experts, analysis and discussion of business cases.

Course books

To be indicated by the teacher.

Assessment

The assessment will be deployed via a written test with 3 open questions on the topics explored during the course. By answering questions in an articulated main concepts, critical ability to evaluate and solve real-case situations in the industrial context, ability to present arguments rigorously through an effective use of the available time and an appropriate language. The available time to answer questions is 90 minutes. In answering questions, attending students are invited to make appropriate use of the contents developed interactively during classes.

Team works will be proposed during the course (participation is optional). Team works will be evaluated by the teacher, for which students will receive, depending on the evaluation, a bonus of up to 2 points to be added to the final exam score. Evaluations of team works will be based on a variety of criteria: ability to work in teams; effectiveness of communication with the teacher; content innovation; internal consistency of the project; correct use of the tools developed during the course.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Students can request to take the final exam in English, studying on dedicated English material (which will be indicated by the teacher).