OVERVIEW

The development of new digital technologies is profoundly transforming maritime logistics. The presence of heterogeneous clusters comprising businesses and institutions renders the innovation process more complex compared to the past and other sectors. This course provides theoretical and managerial tools to analyse and evaluate the innovation processes necessary to improve logistic services' operational efficiency, quality, and reliability and reduce negative environmental and social externalities. Additionally, it delves into technology adoption processes to understand the mechanisms of innovation diffusion and distinguish the key innovators, users, and stakeholders involved.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide students with a solid theoretical and managerial knowledge foundation to understand and analyse the challenges related to innovation processes in maritime logistics. The program focuses on deepening the fundamental concepts associated with generating and implementing innovations, mainly systemic innovation processes involving a wide range of public and private actors. The course focuses on the adoption processes of digital technologies and their diffusion within the specific ecosystems of maritime logistics. The objective is to equip students with the skills necessary to identify the main innovative actors and users of technologies within these ecosystems, as well as to analyse the factors that can facilitate or hinder their diffusion. Furthermore, knowledge is provided to understand and evaluate the benefits and obstacles related to vital technological innovations, with particular attention to the automation of operational and managerial processes in terminals, energy management, and environmental and social sustainability.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Describe innovation processes, focusing on systemic processes involving various public and private actors.
• Distinguish and classify emerging innovations and technological solutions.
• Identify and analyse challenges connected to innovation processes within the specific realm of maritime logistics.
• Recognize the main innovative actors and users of technologies within the maritime logistics ecosystem.
• Identify and evaluate the benefits and impacts of key technological innovations in the sector, including their implications for operational, managerial, environmental, and social performance.
• Evaluate technology adoption processes and diffusion mechanisms in the specific context of maritime logistics.
• Effectively communicate acquired knowledge on challenges and opportunities related to technological innovation in maritime logistics and formulate strategies through group activities.

PREREQUISITES

It is assumed that the student has acquired a series of managerial competencies relevant to thoroughly understanding the topics covered in the course. Specifically, the student should be familiar with the following themes:

• Competitive advantage and critical success factors.
• Cost leadership and differentiation strategies.
• Basic knowledge of marketing and finance.
• Concepts related to the value chain and specific operational processes of maritime logistics.
• Understanding of physical and digital infrastructures in the transportation and logistics sector.

These topics are fundamental to ensuring the student's ability to follow the lectures adequately and to achieve a positive evaluation in the final exam.

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures, case studies, and company testimonials.

Furthermore, students, organized into groups (up to a maximum of 5 per group), will be actively involved in the analysis and implementation of a case study related to the development and/or application of innovative technologies in the maritime, port, and logistics sectors. At the end of the course, each group will present their project to a panel of industry experts, illustrating their innovative strategies and solutions and highlighting the benefits and challenges of implementing them in a specific business context.

Students with disabilities, SLD or SEN

Students with disabilities, including SLD or SEN, are reminded that to request exam accommodations, they must first upload their certification to the University website at servizionline.unige.it<https://servizionline.unige.it/> in the “Students” section. The documentation will be checked by the University’s Services for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and with SLD.

At the beginning of the course, students are advised to contact the lecturer to agree on exam arrangements that, while respecting the course's learning objectives, take individual learning needs into account.

To request compensatory tools or dispensatory measures, students with disabilities or SLD must fill in the dedicated Webform available athttps://unige.it/disabilita-dsa, at least 7 working days before the exam.

Students with SEN may instead send their request by e-mail to the lecturer, copying the Department Representative, Prof. Elena Lagomarsino, atinclusione.economia@unige.it<mailto:inclusione.economia@unige.it>, and the Inclusion Office atinclusione.studenti@info.unige.it<mailto:inclusione.studenti@info.unige.it>.

Requests from students will be assessed by the lecturer and may be approved or rejected.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course offers an in-depth understanding of innovation management processes in the specific context of maritime logistics. The program is structured into two parts.

In the first part, students will learn the theories and practices of innovation management, focusing on strategies for generating, diffusing, and adopting innovations within corporate and ecosystem contexts.

The second part of the course focuses on technological trends and specific innovation processes in the maritime logistics sector. Students will explore emerging developments in digitalization and sustainability, with particular attention to their implications for maritime logistics management. Strategies and practices driving these transformations are analyzed, with consideration of the environmental and social impacts of technological innovations.

By combining theory and practice, the course prepares students to tackle complex challenges and seize emerging opportunities in the ever-changing field of maritime logistics.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The first part references: Schilling M., Strategic management of technological innovation, McGraw-Hill Education.

For the second part, slides and supplementary materials (e.g., documents, book chapters, reports, etc.) will be discussed and made available on Aulaweb.

Attending students may be recommended additional reading on specific topics; supplementary readings and materials will be published on Aulaweb.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

NICOLETTA BURATTI (President)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The course is taught in the second semester, according to the timetable published on EasyAcademy:

https://easyacademy.unige.it/

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam consists of a written test with open-ended questions on the topics covered in the syllabus.

Retake: Students who fail the exam cannot retake the next exam. However, they may retake the next exam if it falls within a different exam session. Students who fail the exam may retake the next exam. Erasmus students may retake the exam in all available exam sessions.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The written exam will assess the student's ability to:

- orient themselves to the theories and reference models in innovation management, placing them in the correct temporal sequence;
- solve simple questions related to the management of the main processes involved in the implementation and valorization of a technological innovation.

The following will be assessed:

- the correct use of specialized vocabulary;
- the ability to critically reason about the appropriateness of innovation management models in relation to specific sectoral and technological circumstances.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Each year, the teacher reviews the evaluations and suggestions submitted by students in the teaching evaluation questionnaires.