https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwBieUWT8gQ
The ORT Graduate School of Business has launched a blended-learning Master’s in Digital Business. This program, which begins on October 18, 2021, addresses the need for change and innovation driven by the digital transformation of all businesses.
It is designed for young professionals in any field who need to further their education by developing the skills required to manage the digital complexity that companies currently face.
The launch of the master's program took place online on Wednesday, June 30, 2021.
During the event, graduates Karen Bruck, MBA—who holds a bachelor’s degree in Management and Administration from ORT, an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, and serves as Vice President of Marketplace at MercadoLibre—and Ilan Bajarlia, BA—who holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from ORT and is CEO and co-founder of nocnoc—shared their experiences and professional journeys.
Blended learning
“The Master’s in Digital Business aims to reach not only professionals in Uruguay but throughout the region. These professionals need to adapt in the context of the widespread disruptive transformation currently taking place in all aspects of business management and leadership,” said Dr. Gaston J. Labadie, dean of the School of Business and Social Sciences.
Marcela Mercapidez, M.A.—deputy academic coordinator of the graduate program—noted that the blended learning format, which combines in-person and remote components, “aims to offer the best of both worlds” and makes it possible for students to balance the program with their professional and personal responsibilities.
Understanding the Current Reality
Regarding the courses in the curriculum, Mercapidez explained that some—such as Lean Startup, Agile, and Design Thinking, or Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Business—aim to provide students with tools to understand the current reality and design alternative realities.
Other courses—such as Strategic Marketing and Marketing and Business Transformation—aim to help students understand how to lead digital transformation, how marketing is set to evolve, and how to develop a new organizational structure that involves complex teams, which presents challenges—for example, due to time zone differences and varying locations.
The program also aims to make a real impact on organizations, understand the various financing options available to startups, and, finally, develop a business plan from scratch, putting into practice all the skills, competencies, and tools acquired during the graduate program.
Designing digital transformations
Marcel Mordezki—a professor of Technology Management and Innovation—noted that today’s workforce requires innovative professionals capable of designing digital transformations, products, and solutions, serving as the eyes and ears of customers within the organization.
This graduate program provides the knowledge needed to meet the requirements of new professional roles, including digital product manager, digital transformation manager, and digital customer solutions manager.
“Graduates of the Master’s in Digital Business will be key players in the digital transformation of companies,” said Mordezki.
The professor concluded: “In the post-pandemic era, Uruguay will be an ideal place to develop digital business models for the country, the region, and the world. If we resolutely embrace these new paradigms, a future of growth awaits us—a better place for our society and for the society in which our children will live.”
Digital languages
Ilan Bajarlia—who holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies and serves as CEO and co-founder of nocnoc, a platform that connects U.S. and Chinese brands with Latin American marketplaces —said:
“The skills needed to start a digital business aren’t just technical. Many of them have to do with softer, more emotional aspects as well: having patience, embracing uncertainty, accepting that you can’t control everything, and learning to make decisions based on data.”
Karen Bruck—Vice President of Marketplace at MercadoLibre—emphasized the importance of continuing to learn, regardless of age, as well as “providing education in this rapidly changing industry.”
“How much easier it would be for companies if we had people trained in digital languages, ”said the expert, adding, “From that perspective, I think this new program is important; it’s necessary from both the corporate side and the startup side as well. I believe this new master’s program is essential.”