This course aims to provide the basic knowledge needed to understand the functioning of business companies. We will discuss the organizational and managemental processes behind the different functional areas around which the business activity is structured and the modalities through which companies achieve their integrated and dynamic management. Our focus will be on the use of new technologies and the Internet in business management.

1. The relationship between businesses and competitive environment

2.The variety of national sectorial contexts

2.1 Determining factors in the variety of businesses

3. The variety in dimension and governance of businesses

3.1 The dimensional variety of business

3.2 Corporate governance

4.  Company development:  strategies, models and tools for growth

4.1 Growth and development

4.2 Tools for growth

5 Analysis of strategic choices

5.1 Contents of strategic analysis

5.2 Strategic diagnosis

5.3 Delimitation of the operational context

5.4 Attractiveness of the competitive context

5.5 Competition analysis

5.6 Evaluation of resources and company skills

5.7 Swot analysis (relationship between company and environment)

6. Corporate strategies: main types

6.1 Corporate strategies

6.2 Modalities of implementation of corporate strategies

7 Business strategies

7.1 The basis of business strategies and competitive advantage

7.2 Basic strategies

7.3 New sources of competitive advantage

8. Choices of organizational design

9. Development in foreign markets

9.1 How to internationalize

9.2 Commercial internationalization

10. New information technologies and their implication in business management

10.1 Web applications in the management of markets in SMBs

Students will have a basic preparation in the field of business management and will understand which methodological tools and which skills are needed to operate successfully in different business contexts. 

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

Lectures, discussion of study cases and company statements

Course books

Tunisini A., Pencarelli T., Ferrucci L., 2014, Economia e Management delle Imprese: Strategie e Strumenti per la Competitività e la Gestione aziendale.

Chapters: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 14.

Cioppi M., 2011, PMI e nuove tecnologie della comunicazione: applicazioni gestionali ed implicazioni strategiche, Franco Angeli, Milano.

Chapters: 2, 3, 4, 6.

Texts and slides that replace some parts of the recommended books will be provided in class

Assessment

Written exam (open and multiple-choice questions), possible oral assessment. These modalities aim to verify both the acquisition of the theoretical basis and the reasoning skills of the student.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Course books

Tunisini A., Pencarelli T., Ferrucci L., 2014, Economia e Management delle Imprese: Strategie e Strumenti per la Competitività e la Gestione aziendale.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18.

Cioppi M., 2011, PMI e nuove tecnologie della comunicazione: applicazioni gestionali ed implicazioni strategiche, Franco Angeli, Milano.

Assessment

Written exam (open and multiple-choice questions), possible oral assessment. These modalities aim to verify both the acquisition of the theoretical basis and the reasoning skills of the student.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.