OVERVIEW

Management Module: The module provides the fundamentals of Strategic Management, in particular, it examines the strategies that companies can implement to achieve competitive advantage and create value. Quantitative methods (simulation) for analysing these strategies will also be addressed.

Organization Module: The Organization module aims to provide students with the fundamental tools for organizational analysis and design, and for understanding the dynamics of the behavior of actors in organized work contexts. The module will revolve around inductive, case- and exercise-based learning to derive general principles that can be applied to a variety of organizations.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course is split in two modules. The Organization module aims to provide the fundamental conceptual and practical tools for the organizational analysis and design, both from an internal and an external (e.g. consultancy) perspective. The module will focus on the logic of organizational design such as structural dimensions and organizational configurations, and on the following topics regarding human behaviour inside an organization: personality, perception and decision-making, motivations and incentives, Leadership & Group behavior, and organizational change. The Strategic business management module aims at helping students to understand and interpret the companies’ behaviours and strategies with reference to their surrounding environment. The specific focus is on competitive/collaborative relationships among companies and their stakeholders. Some modelling paradigms are presented, along with case studies. - main goals of a business - companies as complex social systems - creating shared value and Porter's Value Chain - mission, vision and strategy - the company and the environment (general and competitive environment; Porter's five forces analysis) - internal environment of companies (resources, competences) - business and corporate strategies - competitive strategies (cost leadership, differentiation, focus) and the competitive advantage - innovation and exploration vs exploitation strategies - business functions - business processes - modelling and simulating an enterprise (overview of different paradigms) - agent based models for strategic management simulation and modelling - examples and case studies.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Management Module

• Introduction to the course
• Elements of Strategic Management
• The Purposes of Enterprises
• Enterprises as complex social systems
• Mission, Vision, Values
• The enterprise and its environment
• SWOT analysis
• The internal environment
• Process simulation for enterprises
• Business and corporate level strategies
• Competitive strategies and competitive advantage
• Other managerial strategies
• Technological innovation and the first mover
• Elements of agent-based simulation

Organization Module

The Organization module aims to provide students with the fundamental tools for organizational analysis and design, and for understanding the dynamics of the behavior of actors in organized work contexts. The module focuses on the internal dynamics of behavior of individuals and groups, and on the practical methods of implementation of organizational strategy.
Throughout the module, the student will be able to recognize the fundamental variables of organizational design, and the respective actions aimed at obtaining certain results starting from environmental and context conditions. In addition, the student will recognize the fundamental variables of organizational behavior, starting from the behaviors and results that are "desirable" for the organization, and to recognize the main areas that influence these behaviors and results (at different levels, individual, group and organizational). He will therefore be able to independently conduct an organizational analysis, suggesting decisions and actions aimed at improving group and organizational performance, and individual well-being in work contexts

PREREQUISITES

No specific prerequisites

TEACHING METHODS

Management Module: Synchronous lectures and case studies

Organization Module: The teaching method will be interactive and engaging in order to create for students a real experiential learning setting. Videos such as TEDs talks and business cases will be used to ignite class discussion. Role-models, incidents and takeaways complete the learning environment.

Working students and students with certified SLD (Specific Learning Disorders), disability or other special educational needs are advised to contact the teacher at the beginning of the course to agree on teaching and examination arrangements so to take into account individual learning patterns, while respecting the teaching objectives.

The teaching units will therefore allow students to gain social competences

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Management Module

The course aims at helping students to understand and interpret the companies’ behaviours and strategies with reference to their surrounding environment. The specific focus is on competitive/collaborative relationships among companies and their stakeholders. Some modelling paradigms are presented, along with case studies.
- main goals of a business
- companies as complex social systems
- creating shared value and Porter's Value Chain
- mission, vision and strategy
- the company and the environment (general and competitive environment; Porter's five forces analysis)
- internal environment of companies (resources, competences)
- business and corporate strategies
- competitive strategies (cost leadership, differentiation, focus) and the competitive advantage
- innovation and exploration vs exploitation strategies
- business functions
- business processes
- modelling and simulating an enterprise (overview of different paradigms)
- agent based models for strategic management simulation and modelling
- examples and case studies

Organization Module

• Aims and methods of organizational analysis
• The logic of Organizational Design: Structural dimensions; Organic and mechanic models
• Configurations (contingent model): Simple, Functional, Divisional & Matrix structures. Configurations for spanning geography/international environments; New/innovative forms/configurations
• Coordination and control mechanisms/systems
• The glue that holds together: Organizational culture
• The logic of Organizational Behavior: a 3x3 model.
• Issues of Organizational Behavior: Personality
• Perception and decision-making
• Motivation and incentives
• Leadership & Group behavior
• Change management
• People Management Systems in practice

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Management Module: Slides provided during the course

Organization Module: Mainly slides and materials provided during the course.

Students, especially non-attending ones, may refer to the following textbooks:

• Burton R.M., Obel B., Håkonsson D. D., Organizational design. A step-by-step approach, Cambridge University Press, 2021 (for the organization design part)

• Robbins S.P. & Judge T.A., Organizational Behavior, any edition (for the organizational behavior part)

(PLEASE NOTE: see specific instructions for attending and non-attending students in the syllabus that will be uploaded on Aulaweb)

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

LORENZO MIZZAU (President)

TERESINA TORRE

MARCO REMONDINO (President Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

First semester

https://corsi.unige.it/10948/p/studenti-orario 

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Management Module: Oral examination, based on the writing and presentation of project work with references to the theory illustrated during the course. There may be small ongoing projects for attending students.

Organization Module:

Attending students
 Students able to attend in a continuous and active way to sessions will deliver:
A)   Organizational Design problem (mid-term): open-book, at-home resolution of an Organizational Design problem
B)   Organizational Behavior exam: final written exam on the Organizational Behavior part
[Both will be graded on a scale of 31]
 
NON-attending students
 
Students unable to attend in a continuous and active way (i.e., those who need or prefer to study “in bulk” and concentrate the evaluation part at the end of the course) will take:
C)    Final written exam comprising both the resolution of an Organizational Design problem and the Organizational Behavior part [On a scale of 30]
D)    An Optional Individual work: optionally, they may submit of a brief essay (analysis of real-life situation based on each student’s work experience) [up to 2 points to be added to the Individual final exam]

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Management Module: Evaluation of the project work and assessment of understanding of the specific topics during the presentation

Organization Module: The Individual Task is aimed at ascertaining the basic knowledge on the concepts and tools of organizational design and will be evaluated on the basis of understanding and ability to apply the concepts and tools. 

The final written exam is is aimed at ascertaining both the basic knowledge of concepts and tools, and the ability to apply them to real situations. The optional essay is aimed at ascertaining the ability to apply theoretical concepts and tools to the real situations.

For non-attending students, the final written exam is aimed at ascertaining both the basic knowledge of concepts and tools related to leadership and teamwork, and the ability to apply these concepts and tools. The optional essay is aimed at ascertaining the ability to apply theoretical concepts and tools to the real situations encountered, and will be evaluated on this basis.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Management Module: n/a