Learning objectives
The aim of the course is to provide knowledge of the main constructs of organisational theories and of the forms and methods of designing organisational macro- and microstructures. In particular, the course will address the issue of business organisation with reference to the way organisations function in different sectors (public, private, industrial and services).
The course also aims to provide the tools for analysing organisation, understood as a process of coordinating the actions and decisions of several actors, with different rationales and interests.
Prerequisites
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Course unit content
To provide the methodological and conceptual tools to acquire a critical reading capacity of the organisational realities of both manufacturing and service industries.
Full programme
ENTERPRISE ORGANISATION
Division, articulation and coordination of work: specialisation and coordination. Macrostructure: the types of structures and organisational coordination mechanisms. Contingent factors: enterprise size and life cycle of organisations; technologies and the external environment.
HUMAN RESOURCES
Microstructure: design of individual positions, types of tasks. Individual performance, skills and motivation The social dimension: groups and conflicts
PROCESS MANAGEMENT - BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT (BPM)
The performance of business processes. Process organisation. Business Process Management Notation (BPMN). Identification and modelling of business processes.
DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES
Decision-making as the essence of business management. Full rationality and bounded rationality. The phases of the decision-making process: problem setting and problem solving. Goal setting, identification of constraints and decision boundaries. Decision-making criteria under conditions of risk and uncertainty. Multi-actor decisions: game theory. Decision-making processes in turbulent environments. Time available and time needed for change. Strategic decisions in turbulent environments: Ansoff's model.
Bibliography
Gianluca Spina, "La gestione dell'impresa" (chapters 1-10). Publisher: ETAS, Edition year: 2012, ISBN: 9788817057998.
Supplementary handout available in the " Teaching Material" section of this webpage.
Teaching methods
The course unit is allocated 9 ECTS; the overall workload for the student is, thus, equivalent to 225 hours. This includes:
a) attending theory and practice ONLINE lectures,
B) the individual study and preparation for the exam (self-study).
Approximately 50% of classroom lectures are expository (theory) classes and 50% are practical classes (exercises/problems/case studies).
Texts of exercises, problems and integrative cases (both for practical classes and self-study) are included in the required textbook.
Active participation and discussion of the course contents is encouraged. Therefore, study of the given literature and suggested readings in advance of each class is strongly recommended.
Assessment methods and criteria
The examination consists of:
a first written test comprising theory questions (marked in thirtieths). The format of the questions in this test may be "multiple choice", "true or false" or "free composition".
a second written test involving the resolution of exercises (marked in thirtieths).
For each question (of both tests), the mark obtained if the student gives the correct answer will be indicated.
The overall mark awarded to the student is the arithmetic mean of the marks for the two written tests. The mark of 30 cum laude may only be awarded to students who have obtained a mark of 30/30 in both written tests and in any case only after a further oral test.
Both written tests must necessarily be taken in the same call and on the same date. Typically, the second written test is taken at the end of the correction of the first written test.
Other information
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