Course 2009-2010 a.y.

Course Objectives

This course is designed to develop a student’s ability to find, evaluate, and develop raw technical ideas into commercially viable product concepts, and build those concepts into business propositions. This course is part of the IT Consulting Major, offered by the EMIT MS.c. at Bocconi University, Milan.

Among other educational initiatives, the broader IT Consulting program includes a variety of other courses and seminars to foster students' capabilities in this crucial field.

The 8471 course focuses on theories and techniques for evaluating Internet technologies commercial capabilities, for gathering funds, for designing customer-compatible applications, for understanding the crucial role of the organizational support.

While the course is focused towards venture-funded Internet startups, the pedagogy is sufficiently general so that the knowledge and skills are also directly applicable to Internet adoption within a corporate environment.

Course Content Summary

• Part 1: Internet related technologies and their business models
• Part 2: Selling your idea to Angels. Where is the money?
• Part 3: Designing your interface and selling your idea to customers
• Part 4: Organizing your Internet business and your team

Textbooks

Attending students: Handout prepared by Professor Proserpio and Magni. Plus a field project.

Non attending students are required to study the followings:
a) Fraser, Dutta, 2008, Throwing Sheep in the Boardroom: How Online Social Networking Will Transform Your Life, Work and World, John Wiley & Sons
b) The entire set of papers in the course programme, including those without the asterisk