MANAGEMENT
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Bibliography
- Teaching methods
- Contacts/Info
None.
The exam takes place in written form and it is based on the topics discussed in class and dealt with in reference materials (see next session).
Students can either take two partial exams, respectively on Module A (between March 20 and 25, 2017) and on Module B (between May 22 and 31, 2017), or take the entire exam (on Module A and Module B jointly) in exam sessions following the end of the Course and starting from June-July.
In any case, the final grade will be calculated as the average of the two partial grades received for the two modules; both grades must be equal or above 18/30.
The exam on module A consists of three open questions and an exercise.
The exam on module A consists of four questions, some of which may contain exercises and require graphic representations.
The course’s goal is to make students understand the fundamentals of Business Administration, Management and Corporate Strategy, providing a comprehensive overview of structure, processes and strategic choices of firms and other organizations in a double-fold perspective (i.e. both descriptive and problem-solving).
At the end of the course, therefore, students should have learned the basic concepts of business administration as well as models and tools to describe structure, strategy and management of the different organizations involved in economic activities, with a specific focus on firms.
Specifically, the course is divided into two modules: A and B.
Module A provides an overview of the structure and functioning of firms and other economic organizations with a special focus on institutional goals; ownership and governance structures and processes; governance decisions; functional and business areas and related key decisions based on cost structures and various "economies" (such as scale, volume, scope, learning, transaction); personnel; assets & liabilities; principles of economic viability.
Module B is focused on Corporate Strategy including both internal and external analysis, strategy formulation and execution as well as strategic decisions such as vertical cost leadership, differentiation, segmentation, integration, outsourcing, diversification, internationalization, growth and downsizing.
MODULE A:
A) THE FUNDAMENTALS
• Course presentation. Management and Business Administration
• People and economic activity
• Firms, other organizations and economic specialization
B) THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONING OF FIRMS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS: AN OVERVIEW AND SOME DEEPER INSIGHTS
• Structure and strategies
• Ownership and governance
• Governance structures and processes
• Economic activity and the variety of operations
• Economic activity and strategic decisions
• Assets and liabilities
C) THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONING OF FIRMS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS: SOME KEY DECISIONS
• Decisions on cost structures
• Decisions about size and economies of scale, volume and learning
• Diversification choices and economies of scope
• Make/buy decisions and transaction economies
• Creating and developing key assets and core competences
D) PERFORMANCES AND CONTINUITY CONDITIONS OF FIRMS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
• The principle of economic viability
MODULE B:
A) EXTERNAL ANALYSIS
• Overall environmental analysis
• Industry, market, business analysis
• Porter’s five forces analysis
• Identifying the key competitive factors
B) INTERNAL ANALYSIS
• Corporate resource analysis and resource based view
• Resources vs competences
• The value chain
C) BUSINESS STRATEGIES
• Cost leadership
• Differentiation
• Focus
• Beyond basic strategies
D) CORPORATE STRATEGIES
• Market penetration
• Vertical Integration (upstream/backward)
• Diversification
• Internationalization
• Growth vs Downsizing
E) SEMINARS
• Business case discussions and testimonials
MODULE A:
G. Airoldi – G. Brunetti – V. Coda, Corso di Economia Aziendale, Il Mulino, 2005, Cap. 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5, 9.1, 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 14, 16.1, 16.2, 16.3, 16.4, 17.1, 17.2, 17.3.
The cases mentioned in the detailed schedule (that will be available to students at the beginning of the course) will be uploaded on the elearning course page, together with selected articles from the economic press.
MODULE B:
Cotta Ramusino E. – Onetti A. Strategia d’impresa, Il Sole 24 Ore Libri, Milano, 4a Edizione, 2013, Cap. 3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5, 6.
Lectures, case discussions, seminars.
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