The course aims to provide students with the basic concepts needed to understand how companies operate from two key perspectives: management and marketing. The first part of the course will be dedicated to exploring the most common mechanisms for optimizing business management, starting with the definition of a company and then delving into business dynamics, analytical processes, the value chain, and strategic decision-making. The second part of the course will focus on marketing topics from both strategic and operational perspectives. This will be done to stimulate students' entrepreneurial spirit and equip them with key tools to analyze and interpret market behaviors. As a result, students will be able to develop tailored strategic planning that ensures the creation and maintenance of a competitive advantage in the medium to long term.

Part I - Firm management

• Define company and business
• Sectoral analysis
• Value chain
• Internal/external resources and competencies
• Strategic decision-making
• Business Model Canvas
• Management and new technologies

Part II - Marketing

• Define marketing and marketing intelligence
• Strategic marketing: segmentation and positioning
• Operational marketing: the 4Ps of the marketing mix

• Knowledge and Understanding: At the end of the course, students are expected to have acquired adequate knowledge and effective understanding of the key concepts in business management and marketing, in line with the course syllabus. Knowledge and understanding of the topics covered will be facilitated through lectures, case study analysis and discussions, in-depth seminars, and classroom discussions/debates.
• Applying Knowledge and Understanding: By the end of the course, students should be able to appropriately apply the acquired knowledge to understand and solve emerging problems in business management and marketing processes, with a particular focus on widely-used management models for value creation and key strategic and operational marketing techniques for today's market contexts. The development of these skills will be supported through lectures, case study analysis and discussions, teamwork, and classroom exercises.
• Making Judgments: At the end of the course, students should be able to use the knowledge acquired both conceptually and practically in relation to business management tools and marketing processes with independent evaluation skills. This ability will be fostered through lectures, case study analysis and discussions, teamwork, and in-depth seminars.
• Communication Skills: By the end of the course, students should have acquired the technical language typical of the discipline, enabling them to communicate clearly and unambiguously with specialized stakeholders (managers, academics, experts, etc.) on topics such as business performance or marketing planning. These communication skills will be developed primarily through interactions between students and instructors during lectures, as well as through participation in teamworks.
• Learning Skills: By the end of the course, students should have developed adequate learning skills that enable them to independently explore key topics in the discipline, particularly in the professional contexts in which they will operate. Classroom exercises will serve as the main tool for developing these skills, along with discussion/debate sessions and participation in group work.

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

The course includes various teaching methods, such as lectures, exercises and simulations in the classroom, discussion of business case studies, and open discussion/debate sessions.

During the course, intermediate self-assessment tests may be conducted to evaluate the level of learning. These tests will be in the form of short multiple-choice questionnaires to be completed in class, with correction carried out together with the lecturer (who does not review or evaluate the tests, as they are solely intended to help students understand their progress in studying the subject).

Innovative teaching methods

Adoption of innovative teaching methods such as problem-based learning, learning by doing, exercises, simulations, and role-playing games.

Attendance

Attendance at lectures is not mandatory, although it is strongly recommended to better understand the topics covered in the course through case studies, examples, and in-depth discussions in the classroom.

The lectures do not require prior knowledge of the concepts presented in the course.

Course books

The study materials for the course are as follows:

• Baroncelli, A. and Serio, L. (2020). Economia e gestione delle imprese. Milan: McGraw Hill (Chapters: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14).
• Mattiacci, A. and Pastore, A. (2021). Marketing. Il management orientato al mercato. Milan: Hoepli (Chapters: 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15).

Supplementary teaching materials, such as booklets, newspaper articles, scientific readings, etc., will be provided directly by the lecturer.

Assessment

The assessment is conducted through an oral examination, during which students must demonstrate a thorough understanding of the concepts studied and the essential skills and competencies needed to implement both strategic and operational tools for effective business management and marketing processes. A passing grade is considered achieved if at least two of the questions posed during the examination are answered correctly and comprehensively. In providing detailed answers, students are expected to demonstrate critical thinking abilities in evaluating and solving realistic situations related to industrial enterprises, present their arguments rigorously, manage the time effectively, and use appropriate language. Attending students are encouraged to appropriately integrate interactive content discussed in class into their responses.

During the course, group projects will be proposed, which will require a final presentation in class. Participation in these activities is optional for attending students. Projects will be evaluated by the lecturer, and based on the evaluation, participants may receive a bonus of up to 2 points to be added to their exam score, depending on the effectiveness of the project presentation. The evaluation of the group work will be based on multiple criteria: teamwork ability, presentation effectiveness, innovation of content, internal coherence of the project, and proper use of the tools developed during the course.

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.

Teaching

Independent study and the possibility of meeting with the lecturer (to be arranged in advance via email) to clarify any doubts or unclear topics.

Attendance

Attendance at lectures is not mandatory, although it is strongly recommended to better understand the topics covered in the course through case studies, examples, and in-depth discussions in the classroom.

The lectures do not require prior knowledge of the concepts presented in the course.

Course books

The study materials for the course are as follows:

• Baroncelli, A. and Serio, L. (2020). Economia e gestione delle imprese. Milan: McGraw Hill (Chapters: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14).
• Mattiacci, A. and Pastore, A. (2021). Marketing. Il management orientato al mercato. Milan: Hoepli (Chapters: 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15).

Supplementary teaching materials, such as booklets, newspaper articles, scientific readings, etc., will be provided directly by the lecturer.

Assessment

The assessment is conducted through an oral examination, during which students must demonstrate a thorough understanding of the concepts studied and the essential skills and competencies needed to implement both strategic and operational tools for effective business management and marketing processes. A passing grade is considered achieved if at least two of the questions posed during the examination are answered correctly and comprehensively. In providing detailed answers, students are expected to demonstrate critical thinking abilities in evaluating and solving realistic situations related to industrial enterprises, present their arguments rigorously, manage the time effectively, and use appropriate language.

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.