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CONTEMPORARY MANAGEMENT

Syllabus

EN IT

Learning Objectives

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
This course aims to introduce students to the issues and challenges facing organisations in today's competitive business environment. The programme includes an overview on the evolution of Management Though by emphasizing the role of Institutional pressures in the Global Environment on organizational and management dynamics. A particular emphasis is placed on understanding how to develop Business Strategies, with a view on Innovation for Sustainability and Value Chain Management. With regard to that, the role of Advanced Information Technology will be clearly considered. The course will focus also on the role of metrics in Organizational Control and Change. This knowledge provides the students with an insight into the demands placed on management in today’s dynamic work environment.
In particular, expected learning outcomes are to:
• Understand and Evaluate the Role of Businesses in transformative processes, as the ecological and digital transition
• Understand and Analyse stakeholders’ pressures in the Global Environment
• Understand and Evaluate Business Strategies
• Recognize the role of Innovation in developing business models, products and services
• Understand and Recognize the role of Information management and Technologies in inter and intra organizational changes
• Understand and Recognize the role of collaboration for creating value along the Value Chain
• Understand, Evaluate and Analyse the role of metrics in monitoring, controlling and improving performances in favour of Business continuity
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
Knowing and Understanding management issues in organizational dynamics with a focus on aspects and tools that are particularly relevant in transformative processes at system level and require an advanced vision of them.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
Knowing how to use management instruments and approaches in decision making processes, with a focus on Sustainable and Innovative transformation.
MAKING JUDGEMENTS:
Knowing how to identify and evaluate the capacity of businesses’ strategies to face with complexity at market and system levels.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
Strengthening communication skills thanks to collaborative learning, small break out exercise.
LEARNING SKILLS:
Strengthening critical thinking, creative thinking, communication and collaboration.

Prerequisites

No Pre-requisites

Program

The overall objective of the course is to provide students with a set of knowledge and skills needed to manage organisations - particularly businesses - in the contemporary era. This means a clear understanding of management, decision-making, planning and strategy, organisation and control, and leadership. The course also offers the opportunity to understand the management of sustainability and innovation.  Concepts such as regenerative strategies, circular business models, sustainable business model innovation, platform business models, open innovation and digital transformation are key aspects of the course.
The course is divided into two parts covering different topics (more details below). The two parts are taught by two different lecturers, experts in economics and business management, respectively in sustainability management (Prof. Gusmerotti) and innovation management and digital transformation. The logic of innovation for sustainability forms the general background of the entire course.
The course is designed to encourage active student participation, following a collaborative and co-creative perspective.
The first part (Prof. Gusmerotti) includes the following topics:
Understanding management and managers. This first part (6 hours) is dedicated to introducing the constituent elements of management. Basic concepts such as planning, organisation, management and control, managerial skills, recent changes in management practices and challenges in a global environment are explained. This part then provides a historical perspective of the most important management theories. Finally, the manager as a person is explored, highlighting the role of values, attitudes, emotions and culture. In this regard, aspects such as creativity and entrepreneurship will be analysed and discussed.
Discovering systems. The aim of this part (6 hours) is to expand the managerial view from individual organisations to systems, clarifying the role of the task environment and the forces operating in the overall environment. Together with the system view, concepts such as diversity, multiculturalism, change and resilience are introduced and explained. In this context, the meaning of sustainability as a driver of innovation and systemic change is introduced.
Managing complexity. Ethics, social responsibility, sustainability and circular economy form the conceptual framework of this part (6 hours). Within this framework, innovation for sustainability, regenerative business strategies, sustainable business models and circular business models will be explored. This part will clarify the importance of complexity as well as paradoxical thinking and metrics to support sustainable innovation of products, processes, business models, value chains and systems.
The second part includes the following topics:
Decision making, strategy and value chain. In this part (6 hours), the concept of strategy and decision making will be analysed. After introducing the basic concepts, this part will focus on the nature of the decision-making and managerial process and the three main phases of the planning process. A specific focus will be devoted to the strategic process and how it can provide a competitive advantage, including functional strategy and value chain management.
Organisational Structure, Control and Change. In this part (6 hours) the types of organisational structures will be introduced, the topic of organisational control and how it can increase organisational effectiveness, including aspects of innovation, will be addressed. Change management will also be described, highlighting its importance in innovation processes. Finally, the traditional innovation paradigm will be compared with open innovation.
Digital transformation and platform-based business models. In this part (6 hours), the role of digital technologies, which are fundamental for the creation and co-creation of sustainable value, will be explained with regard to both the open innovation paradigm and the digital platform business model.

Books

Jones G. and George J. (2022). Contemporary Management (12th Edition). NY: McGraw Hill. (suggested for attending students, mandatory for non-attending students, except for chapters 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18).

Bibliography

Ambec S., Lanoie P. (2008). Does It Pay to Be Green? A Systematic Overview. Academy of Management Perspectives, November, 45-62
Bansal P. and Roth K. (2000), Why Companies Go Green: A Model of Ecological Responsiveness The Academy of Management Journal 43, 717-736
Bogers M., Chesbrough H. & Moedas C. (2018). Open Innovation: Research, Practices, and Policies. California Management Review 60, 5-16.
Cennamo, C., Dagnino, G. B., Di Minin A., & Lanzolla G.. (2020). Managing Digital Transformation: Scope of Transformation and Modalities of Value Co-Generation and Delivery. California Management Review, 62(4), 5-16
Hart S.L. and Milstein M.B. (2003), Creating sustainable value. Academy of Management Executive, 17, 56–67
Johnson M., Christensen C., Kagermann H. (2008) “Reinventing your business model” in Harvard Business Review, December 2008 (https://hbr.org/2008/12/reinventing-your-business-model)
Pane Haden S.S., Oyler J. D. and Humphreys J. H. (2009) Historical, practical, and theoretical perspectives on green management. An exploratory analysis. Management Decision, 47, 1041 – 1055
Porter, M. (1996), What is Strategy, Harvard Business Review, Nov/Dec 1996.
Porter, M. & Kramer, M.R. (2006) Strategy and Society: The Link Between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility, Harvard Business Review, December 2006, pp. 78-92
Porter M.E., van der Linde C., (1995). Toward a new conception of the environment competitiveness relationship. Journal of Economic Perspectives 9, 97-118
Van der Byl C. A. and Slawinski N. (2015) Embracing Tensions in Corporate Sustainability: A Review of Research From Win-Wins and Trade-Offs to Paradoxes and Beyond. Organization & Environment, 28(1) 54– 79

Teaching methods

The course involves the use of different teaching methods: lectures, exercises, small break out exercise, preparation of research, analysis of business cases. All these methodologies contribute to the achievement of the training objectives, which are related to both knowledge and know-how, aiming, as well, at strengthening critical thinking, creative thinking, the ability to communicate and collaborate.

Exam Rules

The student's assessment involves a written examination in which open questions are proposed on the course topics, which the student must demonstrate knowledge, recognition and the ability to critically analyse, in the light of and in application of the Dublin descriptors. The examination is assessed by a grade expressed in thirtieths.  The grade expressed in thirtieths is based on the following criteria
o Inadequate: significant deficiencies and/or inaccuracies in the knowledge and understanding of the topics; limited capacity for analysis and synthesis, frequent generalisations.
o 18-20: barely sufficient knowledge and understanding of the topics with possible imperfections; sufficient capacity for analysis, synthesis and autonomy of judgement.
o 21-23: routinely knowledge and understanding of the topics; correct capacity for analysis and synthesis with coherent logical arguments.
o 24-26: fair knowledge and understanding of the topics; good capacity for analysis and synthesis with rigorously expressed arguments.
o 27-29: comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the topics; considerable capacity for analysis and synthesis. Good autonomy of judgement.
o 30-30L: excellent knowledge and understanding of the topics. Remarkable capacity for analysis and synthesis and autonomy of judgement. Arguments expressed in an original manner.
In particular, for non-attending students, the determination of the final grade for the examination takes into account the written test consisting of four open-ended questions on topics belonging to the examination programme. The duration of the written test is 1.5 hours. The examination grade is announced on Delphi.
In particular, for attending students, the written test (60%) and a written paper relating to a business case analysis (40%) are taken into account in the assessment of the examination. The written test, which contributes to 60% of the final grade, consists of two open-ended questions on the topics of the programme. The duration of the written test is 45 minutes. The written paper, which contributes to 40% of the final grade, consists of a paper on a business case in which the student is asked to analyse the context, business model, sustainability and open innovation practices in order to identify and propose alternative courses of action. The final grade for attending students is the average of the grade obtained in the project work (written paper) and the grade obtained in the written paper. The same assessment criteria as for the written paper are also applied to the individual project work. The marks obtained for the written paper and the written examination will be published on the course Teams channel, together with the final grade. The final grade is published in Delphi.
in the light of and in application of the Dublin descriptors