1 University of Parma Faculty of Business and Economics Parma, 13 July 2006 Introduction to Practice Firm Project

2 Agenda 1. The Faculty of Business and Economics 2. The Practice Firm Project

3 Faculty of Business and Economics: the figures  Founded in 1955  students  new students every year  88 Professors  5 Undergraduate Degrees  4 Postgraduate Degrees  6 Masters  10 PhD Programmes 1

4 The Programmes  Undergraduate Degrees: Three years for basic and vocational education  Postgraduate Degrees : Two years focused on specializing the competences  Masters: high level specialized and vocational education and training  PhD Programmes: for students seeking academic career or employment in knowledge- intensive firms and institutions 1

5 The Degree Courses Business Economics Business and Finance MarketingMarketing Development Economics and International Co- operation Trade Marketing and Sale Strategies Local Development, Co- operation and International Markets Company Management and Business Administration PostgraduateUndergraduate Finance and Risk Management Finance and Risk Management Business and Management 1

6 Master Programmes  International Business (in association withDundee University – Scotland, UK)  International Business (in association with Dundee University – Scotland, UK)  Marketing Management (in association with Il Sole 24 Ore)  Marketing and Logistics for Agroindustrial Products  Employment, Welfare and Human Resources  Finance for Development  Corporate Banking 1

7 PhD Programmes  Corporate Value Measurement and Communication  Labor Laws  Public Corporation and Public Administration Management  Forestry Management and Economics  Political Economics  Public Finance  Firms and Markets  Financial Markets and Intermediaries  Agricultural Policy  Economic Sociology 1

8 Graduate employment One month unanswered Three months Six months26,6% 84,4% 65,3% 2,5% How long do graduates wait before finding their first employment? 1

9 Agenda 1. The Faculty of Business and Economics 2. The Practice Firm Project

10 Practice Firm Project  A training project that simulates the real corporate activity: Buying-selling goods and services Office and tax procedures Business strategy Company organization Keeping business relations Financing Human resource management 2

11 Which are the objectives of the Practice Firm Project?  The project aims at making it easier for the graduates to find employment through reducing the impact of difficulties related to: Lack of working knowledge Problems in the relation with the colleagues Lack of awareness of individual actual aptitudes 2

12 Training targets  To develop: Working knowledge Cross competencies Business thinking Sense of responsibility Team working Proactive behavior Inventiveness Self-learning 2

13 The Practice Firm Project in the Business Faculty  It is designed for 30 undergraduates (second and third year)  The students do not receive a mark, but an opinion about their business proactive behavior  Involvement allows undergraduates to receive 4 ECTS credits.  Candidates’ screening is founded on merit, quantified combining ECTS credits and average marks 2

14 The project main steps  Foundation of the practice firm  Simulated recruitment interviews  Business activities (2 training sessions a week, 3 hours a session, for a period of 4 months)  Participation in the annual Fair of the Italian Practice Firms (2 days)  Attendance at Labor Sociology seminars (16 hours)  Production of the annual report 2

15  …operates in a market composed of other practice firms belonging to “Programma Simulimpresa” Italian Network and “Europen” world Network  …is organized into 3 Departments and carries out business activities by its own employees (students)  …has its head office located in a Multimedia Room, equipped with computers, telephone, fax and other office facilities. The practice firm … 2

16 Key people of the Project  Project Coordinator - Professor Eugenio Pavarani – planning and development of the project.  “Godmother” Corporation – Studio Garulli Insurance Broker s.r.l. – facilitation of the business by replication of its real activities  CEO - Professor Daniele Gualdi - management and coordination of the business activities  Industrial Psychologist - Giorgio Tavani – interpersonal relation analysis  Three tutors - management of the Departments of the Practice firm  Practitioners and business consultants 2

17 NoRisk: the Business Idea  Lack of offer in the Risk Management sector came to light from the analysis of the Practice firms market  Potential market size is huge because of lack of competitors  However, it is necessary to overcome the obstacle related to the scarce attention paid by the practice firms to risk management 2

18 NoRisk business areas  The development of the business idea highlighted the opportunity to start up two business areas: Insurance broking: theft policy, fire policy, third party liability and employers liability policy Trading of business security products: fire prevention, burglar prevention, accident prevention 2

19 NoRisk Organization Chart 2

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