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GENERAL MANAGEMENT

Syllabus

EN IT

Learning Objectives

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
The course aims to provide undergraduate students with an exhaustive explanation of the
classical principles of general management.
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
Given its learning outcomes, the course takes an internationally acknowledged view on the
discipline, in that it is based on the systemic approach to management.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
At the end of the course, students:
1. will have gained both theoretical and practical competences about the main principles
regarding general management to date;
2. will have gained appropriate competences on what decisions can ensure the
sustainability of firms, in terms of both survival and growth processes.
MAKING JUDGEMENTS:
At the end of the course, students will have gained competences in terms of evaluating the
sustainability of business performance.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
At the end of the course, students will have gained competences on how to perform public
corporate presentations.
LEARNING SKILLS:
At the end of the course, students will have gained competences on how to learn through
a "theory and practice" mixed approach.

Prerequisites

None

Program

The course will mostly focus its attention on the following teaching areas:
1. Management: Science, Theory, and Practice
2. Management and Society: The External Environment, Social Responsibility, and Ethics
3. Global, Comparative, and Quality Management
4. Essentials of Planning and Managing by Objectives
5. Strategies, Policies and Planning Premises
6. Decision Making
7. The Nature of Organizing, Entrepreneuring, and Reenginering
8. Managing Change through Manager and Organizational Development
9. Leadership
10. The System and Process of Controlling
11. Control Techniques and Information Technology
12. Productivity, Operations Management, and Total Quality Management

Books

TEXTBOOK
Abatecola G. (2022), General Management, McGraw-Hill Create, ISBN: 978-13-077-7309-5
(Custom Publishing with selected chapters from H. Koontz, H. Weihrich, and M. V. Cannice
[2020], Essentials of Management - An International, Innovation and Leadership
Perspective, 11th ed., McGraw-Hill Education).
ARTICLES
Abatecola G. (2019), “ Prioritizing Short-Termism in Behavioural Strategy. Lessons from
Enron – 20 Years On”, International Journal of Business and Management, 14(4): 60-71.
Abatecola, G., Mandarelli, G., Poggesi, S. (2013), The Personality Factor. A Top
Management Teams Make Decisions. A Literature Review, Journal of Management and
Governance, 17(4), 1073-1100.
Cafferata, R. (2016), Darwinist Connections between the Systemness of Social
Organizations and their Evolution, Journal of Management and Governance, 20(1), 19-44.
Furthermore, teaching notes (for some lectures) will be uploaded on the course's website.

Bibliography

Abatecola G. (2019), “ Prioritizing Short-Termism in Behavioural Strategy. Lessons from
Enron – 20 Years On”, International Journal of Business and Management, 14(4): 60-71.
Abatecola G. (2022), General Management, McGraw-Hill Create, ISBN: 978-13-077-7309-5
(Custom Publishing con capitoli selezionati da H. Koontz, H. Weihrich, and M. V. Cannice
[2020], Essentials of Management - An International, Innovation and Leadership
Perspective, 11th ed., McGraw-Hill Education).
Abatecola, G., Mandarelli, G., Poggesi, S. (2013), The Personality Factor. A Top
Management Teams Make Decisions. A Literature Review, Journal of Management and
Governance, 17(4), 1073-1100.
Cafferata, R. (2016), Darwinist Connections between the Systemness of Social
Organizations and their Evolution, Journal of Management and Governance, 20(1), 19-44.

Teaching methods

Lectures last 2 academic hours.
Not only theoretical, the teaching approach is featured by a strong practitioner input,
through ‘ live’ case discussions (e.g. The Economist, Fortune, Business Week), combined
talks with business experts, group presentations and software simulations (i.e. McGraw Hill
Practice Operations Management).
Because of the teaching approach adopted, the General Management course (a.y.
2021/22) has been among the awardees (Social and Human Sciences area) in the second
edition of the International Blended Learning Award (BLA). Jointly organized by the
Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Università di Roma
Tor Vergata, BLA is focused on innovation in blended learning in response to COVID-19.

Exam Rules

1) The exam is written and is based on 3 open-ended questions (1 hour and 30 minutes to be completed). It is based on all the class materials (book, articles, and slides uploaded on the website). The oral performance is not compulsory; however, during the registration date for the evaluation received in the written test, students will have the opportunity to revise their evaluation (ranging from +2 points to -2 points) through 1 oral question also. IMPORTANT: only when the result of the written test is at least sufficient, students are allowed to perform the oral evaluation. It is also clear that, if the starting basis for the oral evaluation is 18 with the written test, and the oral performance is poor, the final score will result as not sufficient.

2) Students who result not sufficient with their evaluation, needs to "jump" a call. Instead, students who want to refuse a positive evaluation received, can choose to perform the exam again in any other given "call" at their discretion. Relatedly, when receiving the written test, students have the first 10 minutes to retire. If they do so, their test will be considered as not performed. IMPORTANT: there will be a mid-term written test on April, 3rd, 9am. Instructions on how to use this test for the final evaluation are explained below.

Case 1: the student's mid-term evaluation is not sufficient. Starting from the Summer exam session, the student can observe the ordinary exam rules for the a.y. 2023/24.

Case 2: the student's mid-term evaluation is sufficient. To complete the performance, the student needs to perform a written test about the second part of the program on May, 20th, 2024. If the overall score (i.e., average between part 1 and part 2) is, at least sufficient, the student can register.

Instead:
a) if the student's overall score (i.e., average between part 1 and part 2) is at least sufficient, but the student does not register, the score of the mid-term exam expires, with the student being allowed to perform again the full program in any subsequent given “call” (and following the ordinary exam rules for the a.y. 2023/24 - see above);

b) if the student's overall score (i.e., average between part 1 and part 2) is not sufficient, the score of the pre-exam expires and the student needs to follow the ordinary exam rules for the a.y. 2023/24 (see above), thus “jumping” a call;

c) if the student decides to retire when performing the written test about the second part of program, the score of the pre-exam expires, with the student being allowed to perform again the full program in any subsequent given “call” (and following the ordinary exam rules for the a.y. 2023/24 - see above).

3) On the premise above, students will also have the possibility to improve their final evaluation through class commitment and energy in the various learning experiences and challenges launched and practiced during the course. For example:
up to 2 additional extra-points can be added through performing the McGraw-Hill Practice Operations simulation software at the end of the course. These extra-points can be added only to the final evaluation, if this evaluation is at least sufficient. They remain valid for all the a.y. 2023/24. Additional information and explanations about the software will be given during the lectures. Test date: May, 24th, 2024 (10.30am-2.30pm).

4) Only students booked through the Delphi system can perform the exam.

5) The evaluation received in any written test can be explained in every office hours immediately following the test.

6) The final mark of the exam is expressed out of thirty and will be obtained through the following grading system:

Fail: important deficiencies in the knowledge and understanding of the topics; limited analytical and synthesis skills; frequent generalisations and limited critical and judgemental abilities; the topics are set out inconsistently and with inappropriate language.

18-21: the student has acquired the basic concepts of the discipline and has an analytical capacity that emerges only with the help of the teacher; the way of speaking and the language used are on the whole correct.

22-25: the student has acquired the basic concepts of the discipline in a discreet way; knows how to orient him/herself among the various topics covered; and has an autonomous analysis capacity knowing how to express using the correct language.

26-29: the student has a well-structured knowledge base; he/she is able to independently rework the knowledge acquired in the context of the choice of conventional and unconventional materials according to the application; the way of speaking and the technical language are correct.

30 and 30 cum laude: the student has a comprehensive and thorough knowledge base. The cultural references are rich and up-to-date, which are expressed with brilliance and properties of technical language.