SDA Bocconi and Bulgari, a Luxury Partnership for the MBA

MILAN, ITALY, April 21, 2011 (Press-News.org) SDA Bocconi School of Management and Bulgari have united their expertise to create, starting from the next edition of the MBA (applications by April 30th), a new specialization in luxury business management reserved for 20 participants and set out in a track which will allow them to develop the managerial competence required today in the business of luxury goods and services.

In addition to the 5 current functional-based concentrations, next October the SDA Bocconi MBA Program expands its offer by proposing a new industry-based track specialized in luxury business management, the first and only one within a top ranked International MBA.

The specialization track, proposed and developed together by the faculty of SDA Bocconi and Bulgari managers, foresees for every participant three months of lessons at the Bulgari headquarters in Rome and a two-month in-company project in an international branch of the Bulgari Group or in a branch of other companies of the luxury sector.

The 20 participants will also compete against each other for three days in a Bulgari-labelled business game to test their ability in facing the challenges of growth, profitability and sustainability in the luxury goods business.

"The collaboration with a leading group in the sector like Bulgari guarantees to our program the necessary integration between theoretical approach and application to real and concrete cases," explains Alberto Grando, Dean of SDA Bocconi, the only Italian Business School present in the rankings of both Financial Times and Bloomberg Businessweek. "Together we can exploit the advantage of being Italian in two highly competitive and International markets like business education and luxury."

"I am proud that Bulgari can partner a prestigious Business School like SDA Bocconi, in such a way contributing directly to the development of the managerial competencies of the participants," continues Francesco Trapani, Chief Executive Officer of the Bulgari Group. "Investments in quality and education have always been those that guarantee the highest return and I am sure that for both the company and the participants it will prove to be a valuable opportunity for exchange and for personal and professional growth."

The collaboration between SDA Bocconi and Bulgari will guarantee the participants the attainment of SDA Bocconi's MBA diploma and a certificate in specialization in luxury business management guaranteed by the School and the Bulgari brand.

SDA Bocconi is the School of Management of Università Bocconi and aims to nurture and spread management culture and to promote the scientific rigour it shares with Bocconi. Founded in 1971, the school, with a wide offer of MBA, Masters and Executive Programs, is a leading Institution in Italy and enjoys international recognition. SDA Bocconi's MBA ranked 10th in Europe and 28th in the world in the 2011 Financial Times rankings. In 2010 SDA ranked 17th in Europe in the FT Business School ranking and 18th in the world, outside of the US, in the Bloomberg Businessweek ranking.

Bulgari is one of the global players on the luxury market. In 2010 the Group posted a turnover of 1,069 million Euro. Bulgari relies on a stores network in the most exclusive shopping areas in the world and on selected distributors. As of 31.12.2010 the number of the Bulgari stores in the world was 293 of which 173 as directly owned stores. Bulgari has a product portfolio that ranges from jewels and watches to accessories and perfumes. The Group is controlled by the Bulgari family, holding about 51.0% of the share capital. The remaining 49.0% is floating on the Milan Stock Exchange.