Course 2017-2018 a.y.

30496 - MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITIES


CLEAM - CLEF - CLEACC - BESS-CLES - WBB - BIEF - BIEM - BIG

Department of Social and Political Sciences

Course taught in English

Go to class group/s: 31
CLEAM (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08) - CLEF (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08) - CLEACC (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08) - BESS-CLES (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08) - WBB (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08) - BIEF (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08) - BIEM (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08) - BIG (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08)
Course Director:
ANDREA GILARDONI

Classes: 31 (II sem.)
Instructors:
Class 31: ANDREA GILARDONI


Course Objectives

Public utilities - namely water, waste, power including renewables and energy efficiency) and gas - have immense importance for the satisfaction of public needs, both at local and national level, and for the strengthening the competitiveness of nations. In the past years, the sector has experienced profound transition processes: water and energy crises, renewables development, environmental pollution, opposition for new power generation plants are issues that intersect with more or less successful liberalization and privatization policies. Public utilities should ensure both the satisfaction of public needs and value generation. Within this frame, the course looks at public utilities both from managerial and industrial perspectives: corporate governance, organization, marketing, construction, financing and O&M of infrastructures are among the key topics. Attention is dedicated to technologies’ impact like Internet of Things on the industry. The course develops both a local and an international perspective. Speeches by top managers, regulators and public administrators are foreseen.

At the end of the course students are able to understand

  • The basic dynamics of the evolution of public utility sector.
  • The development strategies and specific public utility operational characteristics.
  • The complexity to combine business development objectives with the public interest that characterizes the management of public utilities.

Course Content Summary

  • The energy (gas and power) and the environmental sectors (water and waste) in an evolving European (Global) market.
  • The peculiarities of public utilities companies.
  • The growing role of renewables.
  • Energy efficiency: a key fuel for growth.
  • Corporate governance and organization of public utilities.
  • Liberalization and its impact on public utilities’ strategies.
  • The management of gas, water, waste and power networks.
  • Internet of Things (IoT) for public utility infrastructures.
  • Infrastructures’ construction: financing, Nimby effect and Cost of No Action.
  • Marketing and value creation in a liberalised setting.
  • Financing the activity of public utilities.
  • Case studies of Italian and European companies.

Detailed Description of Assessment Methods

For attending students
(at least 70% attendance) evaluation on the basis of
  • Class participation. Written 60 minutes exam, made of 30 questions (open and multiple choice). A maximum of 20 students, instead of the written exam, can plan with teachers to develop and present a study on a specific topic.
For non attending
Oral exam on the textbooks.No partial exam is expected.

Textbooks

  • A. GILARDONI (editor), Utilities Management: a global challenge, forthcoming.
  • Papers, articles, teaching notes are available on e-learning.
  • Further materials on the syllabus.
Exam textbooks & Online Articles (check availability at the Library)

Prerequisites

NONE
Last change 14/04/2017 12:52