Business and economics law

For this degree course, the Faculty has established an Additional Educational Obligation (OFA) which consists of:
"Mathematics": pre-course delivered in mixed classroom/online mode lasting 12 hours, with a final exam.

Students are required to attend the OFA according to the scheduled calendar indicated in the Newly Enrolled Students' Kit of the Faculty of Economics of Milan and in the Students' Kit of the Faculty of Economics of Rome – Calendar of Pre-Courses (Bachelor's Degrees) and Additional Training Obligations.

Students who have attended at least 70% of the scheduled hours are admitted to the final examination of the OFA course and in the event of failure to pass the final examination are not required to re-attend the OFA course.

Passing the final examination involves the fulfilment of the OFA and the possibility of continuing with the university course without further Additional Training Obligations. During the first year, at least 3 attempts are required to pass the final exam. The dates of the final examination will be communicated on the Blackboard online platform.

In the event of failure to pass the OFA final examination, the Group Tutor in charge will contact the student in order to support him/her in the process of accompanying the above assessment.

In the event of a negative result in all the final examinations scheduled for the academic year, the results of the Initial Preparation Verification (VPI) and the final examinations will be  evaluated by a reference professor designated by the Faculty, and - taking into account any 1st year exams passed by the student - the OFA may be considered fulfilled.
Otherwise, the student is required to renew his enrolment in the first year of the programme as a repeating student.

Students from other degree programmes (both at Università Cattolica and other universities) are exempt from taking the ADMISSION TEST (TIEC) and the VPI for enrolment in the 1st year, provided that they have accrued the minimum ECTS in the training activities identified by the Faculty in their previous career.

"Reading comprehension" questions in Italian

Among the many aspects of our lives that technologies have revolutionized are investments. Until yesterday, those who wanted to make their assets profitable interacted with financial advisors, specialists in the sector, who were able to propose the most suitable investments for each type of customer. Now advisors have to deal with competition from robo-advisors. This term defines digital portfolio construction systems, capable of providing customers, through algorithms, with solutions to invest savings. In addition, there is the automation of all the phases that precede financial advice, from the acquisition of the client to the definition of the model portfolios to be proposed to the client according to his characteristics. This is a model that is becoming increasingly popular, especially in the Anglo-Saxon world and among less wealthy investors. According to the most recent statistics, those who turn to robo-advisors are mainly customers who are halfway between the mass market (i.e. the segment that groups people with less than 100 thousand euros to invest) and the mass affluent (customers with assets of more than 1 million euros). These clients are mostly not finance experts and would like to delegate the management of their portfolio, but keeping management costs low. The services offered by robo-advisors are characterized precisely by their costs, which are much lower than those of portfolio management carried out by a financial advisor. The cost of managing an asset of 100 thousand euros is less than 20 euros per month. To capture customers, companies operating in this sector do not use the most popular arguments of traditional financial advisors, such as the ability to generate attractive returns or protect the invested assets, but hit the low cost button. As the slogan of one of these companies clearly explains: "portfolio management carried out by experts, but at the price you would pay for do-it-yourself". The increasing popularity of robo-advisors is pushing traditional savings advisors to rethink their role and the cost of their services. The business of online consulting appeals to both large investment funds and banks. For many British banks, which had stopped offering small asset management services after the entry into force of stricter rules on the management of customers' savings, which had made it uneconomical to provide these services for the management of small amounts, the launch of robo-advisors could mean the return of advice to the market.

A. What aspect of the financial sector does the passage consider?

• The birth of new banks
• The globalization of investments
• The lack of financial education of savers
• The use of new technologies to guide investors

"Logic" questions in Italian

B. "Greece is poorer than Germany; France is richer than Greece; Germany is the richest of the three." Based on these statements, which of the following conclusions is necessarily true?

• France is the least wealthy of the three
• France is less rich than Germany
• Greece is richer than Germany
• France is less wealthy than Greece

C. In a class of 11 boys and 9 girls, each student had to choose only one extracurricular activity, basketball or volleyball. Knowing that basketball was chosen by 6 students in all and that 5 of them are boys, how many girls chose volleyball?

• 6
• 5
• 8
• 4

"Mathematics" questions in Italian

D.    The inequality (2x −  9)/(3 – x)2 ≤ 0 is verified

• x< 3 V  3<x ≤  9/2
• x ≤ 9/2
• x < 3  V   x ≥ 9/2
• 3 ≤ x ≤  9/2  

E.    (a – 2b + 3)(a+2b+3) is equal to

• (a – 2b)2 – 9
• A2 – 4B2 +9
• A2 – 4B2 + 2AB + 9
• (a + 3)2 – 4b2

ANSWERS

A - The use of new technologies to guide investors

B - France is less rich than Germany

C - 8

D - x< 3 v  3<x ≤  9/2

E - (a + 3)2 – 4b2