OVERVIEW

 The teaching unit introduces the fundamental management conceptual categories for understanding firms  and their strategic management. It also provides a general overview of business processes and functions, offering an essential foundation for future applied management courses.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at introducing the student to strategic management, providing the concepts, frameworks and techniques useful to make correct firm’s strategic decisions. In particular, the focus of the course are the relationships between firms and their competitive environment, together with their resources and capabilities. The topics of the course will be useful for the other management courses focused on the transport, logistics and shipping industries.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at pursuing the institutional objective of acquiring basic knowledge and understanding on the role and behavior of the enterprise in its competitive environment.

The course also presents the objective of offering students food for thought that will enable them to connect the discipline of management with other disciplines that are part of their cultural "backgroud" (microeconomics and business economics in particular) 

 At the end of the teaching unit, the student will be able to:
1. Knowledge and understanding: Describe and explain the main theoretical models supporting strategic analysis and the management of key business functions, with particular reference to marketing, in relation to business cases presented during the course.
2. Applying knowledge and understanding: Apply theoretical models and acquired knowledge to interpret and solve problems related to strategic and operational business decisions, using exercises carried out on the Aulaweb digital platform.
3. Making judgements: Independently evaluate business situations, both conceptually and operationally, in different application contexts, through the analysis of cases proposed during the course.
4. Communication skills: Use the technical language of the discipline to communicate clearly and unambiguously with both specialist and non-specialist interlocutors, during classroom discussions.
5. Learning skills: Develop learning skills that allow for the autonomous deepening of the main topics of the discipline, both in preparation for other specific teaching units and in professional contexts.

PREREQUISITES

Some basic notions of Business Administration.

- The firm and value creation process.

- Income formation and economic and financial equilibrium.

- Profitability and economic capital.

- Determinants of profitability.

- Costs and their relationship with business size.

- Financial needs and their coverage

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures, case studies, exercises on the digital teaching platform, and business testimonials.

Lectures are held in Italian, but, for incoming students, it is possible to sustain the exam in English, following an English textbook like not attendant students.

 Students with certification of disability, specific learning disorders (DSA), or special educational needs should contact, at the beginning of the course, both the instructor and the Department's disability liaison, Prof. Serena Scotto (scotto@economia.unige.it), to agree on 
teaching and exam arrangements that, while respecting the objectives of the teaching unit, take into account individual learning methods and allow the use of any compensatory tools.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Italian Syllabus

 - Business management: from the functional approach to strategic management
- Different types of firms and an introduction to business groups
- The firm and its relationships with the external environment:
     - The macro-environment: definition and analysis criteria
     - The competitive environment: definition and analysis criteria
     - Strategic groups
- The firm and its relationships with the internal environment:
     - Resources: definition and classification
     - From resources to capabilities
     - Distinctive capabilities and competitive advantage
- The firm as a value chain: activities and processes for value creation
- Strategies for competitive advantage

- The marketing function: market segmentation and positioning, product, distribution, price, 
and communication decisions
 

English Syllabus:

- The concept of strategy
- The sources and dimensions of competitive advantage
- Firms’ goals, values and performance
- The fundamentals of industry analysis
- Managing industry evolution and strategic change
- The analysis of resources and capabilities
- The fundamentals of strategy implementation
 

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Genco P., Calvelli A. (2018), Fondamenti di gestione strategica delle imprese, Giappichelli, Torino. Chapters 1, 2, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.

Lambin, J. J., (2021), Market–driven management. Marketing strategico e operativo, McGraw Hill, Milano. Chapters: 1, 2, 8, 15, 16, 18, 19.

For international or incoming students, it is possible to take the exam in English using the following textbook: Grant R.M. (2013), Contemporary Strategy Analysis, 8th Edition, Wiley & Sons. Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

In case of updates or changes, the final bibliography will be communicated on Aulaweb at the beginning of the course.

If incoming students choose to study the ordinary syllabus in Italian, they can refer to the Italian syllabus.

Otherwise, the English syllabus is based on the following textbook:

Grant R.M. (2013), Contemporary Strategy Analysis, 8th Edition, Wiley & Sons. Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

First semester

Week starting 15th September 2025

Class schedule

MANAGEMENT

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam is written and consists of six open-ended questions on topics covered in the syllabus. There are two different exams: one for attending students, based on topics covered during lectures, and one for non-attending students, based on topics covered in the indicated
 textbooks.

For international or incoming students, it is possible to sustain the exam in English, based on the indicated syllabus.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Written exam with six open-ended questions based on the studied syllabus.

It is possible to sustain the exam in Italian or in English. Please send an email to the teacher (giorgia.profumo@unige.it) in case you want to sustain the exam in English

Assessment will consider knowledge of the topics, the ability to connect different topics, correct use of technical terminology, and the ability to comment on and/or provide examples demonstrating mastery of the theoretical tools studied.

Online registration for the exam is mandatory within 5 days before the exam date.

For students with disabilities or specific learning disorders, assessment methods may be agreed with the instructor and the Department's disability liaison.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The course will be taught in Italian. The attendance is not compulsory.