OVERVIEW

The teaching introduces the student to the main economic-organizational dynamics of a company, highlighting the role of the expert in the business context, with particular attention to the realization, evaluation of profitability and management of investment projects in terms of corporate "sustainability", and thus beyond the mere technical validity of a proposal.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Learning the fundamental concepts of economics and business organization, and acquiring the ability to apply this knowledge to the context of the national and international industrial production system. These concepts include not only the economic sustainability of industrial interventions and strategies, but also the environmental sustainability of such actions, to be assessed using life-cycle based approaches.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The aim of the course is to provide students with a general overview of the structure of enterprises in the manufacturing sector and with the basic financial issues that affect their business activities, with emphasis on investment projects and environmental compatibility.

Expected learning outcomes:
1. Understand a company's economic and financial information
2. Compare investment projects
3. Monitoring and management of industrial projects
4. Understand the environmental sustainability of a product or production process based on life cycle assessment (LCA)
5. Increased financial awareness for personal and professional purposes
6. Increased awareness of environmental issues related to industrial production

Recommended Professional Profile (for Materials Science and Technology degree)
Materials scientist: specialist in technology

PREREQUISITES

No prerequisite required

TEACHING METHODS

The entire program will be delivered through lectures.

Notes for each lecture will be available on AulaWeb in slide collections prior to the lecture itself.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

A) The Enterprise system

1. Legal and technological-organizational structure

• Shareholders, Board of Directors, Management, Governance
• Analysis of the activities of a company

2. Business purposes

• Maximization of economic value
• The social responsibility policy

B) Determination of the production level

1. Elements of evaluation of the demand

2. Cost analysis

• Standardization, normalization and modularity
• Economies of scale and learning economies
• Fixed, variable and total costs
• Determination of the break-even point and elasticity analysis
• Cost estimation in the process industry

C) The logic of choices in production companies

1. Funding criteria and constraints

• The financial documents of the companies
• Growth strategies

2. Theory of investments and technological innovation

• Definition of Net Present Value, Discounted Cash Flow and Return on Investment
• Risk and uncertainty assessment

D) The business-environment relationship

1. Environmental externalities

• Examples of allocation of scarce natural goods
• Constraints on the level of pollution: command-and-control legislation and negotiable emission rights

2. Cost-Benefit Analysis

E) Project management

1. Techniques for monitoring results and budget

2. Quantitative tools

• Linear programming: simplex method
• Quadratic programming
• Mathematical programming with equality and inequality constraints
• Branch & Bound method for integer problems

Additional module for students with 6 credits

F) Elements of Life Cycle Assessment (2 credits)

1. Outlines of relevant legislation

2. Logics of assessment of a product or process

3. Creation of a Case Study

• Functional Unit and Inventory of a Study
• Database and Impact Factors
• Analysis and evaluation of results

The teaching contributes to the achievement of the following Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda:

Goal 4: Provide quality, equitable and inclusive education and learning opportunities for all
Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and emancipate all women and girls
Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

G. Azzone e U. Bertelé – L’impresa- Sistemi di governo, valutazione e controllo- 5a Ed. –Rizzoli Etas, 2011

M. Peters, K. Timmerhaus and Ronald West - Plant Design and Economics for Chemical Engineers- 5a Ed. –McGraw-Hill Education, 2003

Notes of the lessons

Supplementary material will be provided upon request to working students or students with SLD to meet specific needs.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The second semester classes will begin on February 23, 2026, and end on June 12, 2026, with breaks as scheduled in the School of Science academic calendar.
The class schedule is available at https://easyacademy.unige.it/portalestudenti/

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Periodic learning checks - Final oral exam.
The oral exam will consist of a series of questions and consequent discussion on the various modules in which the course is organized, in order to evaluate the correct achievement of the learning outcomes (see "assessment methods").
Further information will be provided during the teaching (during the first lesson, and subsequently at the request of the student).

For students with disabilities or with SLD please refer to the Further Information section.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The attendance of the lessons constitutes a fundamental prerequisite for the achievement of the learning outcomes of the teaching.
The oral exam will allow the verification of the actual achievement of these outcomes.
At the same time, the student's critical reasoning skills and his ability to answer specific questions in a clear and direct way will be assessed. In particular, the student's ability to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired in response to realistic scenarios or to solve simple problems will also be positively evaluated.
If the learning outcomes are not achieved, the student will be invited to deepen the study and to make use of further explanations by the teacher.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students with disabilities or specific learning disorders (SLD) are reminded that in order to request accommodations during exams, they must first upload their certification to the University website at servizionline.unige.it in the “Students” section. The documentation will be verified by the University's Services for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and SLDs, as indicated on the federated website at the link: SUSTAINABLE POLYMER AND PROCESS CHEMISTRY 11767 | Studenti con disabilità e/o DSA | UniGe | Università di Genova | Corsi di Studio UniGe.

Subsequently, well in advance (at least 10 days) of the exam date, an email must be sent to the professor with whom the exam will be taken, copying in both the School Referent for the inclusion of students with disabilities and SLDs (sergio.didomizio@unige.it) and the above-mentioned Department. The email must specify:

• the name of the teaching
• the date of the exam
• the student's surname, first name, and student ID number
• the compensatory tools and dispensatory measures deemed functional and requested.

The contact person will confirm to the teacher that the applicant is entitled to request adjustments during the exam and that these adjustments must be agreed upon with the teacher. The teacher will respond by communicating whether it is possible to use the requested adjustments.

Requests must be sent at least 10 days before the exam date in order to allow the teacher to evaluate their content. In particular, if you intend to use concept maps for the exam (which must be much more concise than the maps used for study), if the request is not sent within the specified time frame, there will not be enough time to make any changes.

For further information on requesting services and accommodations, please refer to the document: Linee guida per la richiesta di servizi, di strumenti compensativi e/o di misure dispensative e di ausili specifici.