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Syllabus

EN IT

Learning Objectives

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT course is structured in two modules and aims to bring to first-year master students direct field experience about what strategies companies have to plan and execute to adapt to their competitive environment. This includes a specific lens on how companies need to manage their key business processes, with a focus on understanding how digital technologies are transforming these processes.

The ENTERPRISE EVOLUTION module focuses on competition. In particular, how does it work? How do firms survive, adapt and evolve towards sustainability? And how do the mechanisms of co-evolution between firms, markets and country systems work? It is a matter of fact that Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species (1859) has been representing a catalyst publication also for the development of the management literature. Although the contribution of Darwinism to understanding how firms and country-systems evolve remains controversial to date, a number of heterogeneous research perspectives have been developed within the enterprise evolution research and teaching fields. On this basis, this module aims at explaining how the enterprises’ governance and management evolve under uncertainty in dynamic and complex environments. In this regard, key attention will be devoted to strategic decision making in both the stages of natural and competitive selection,

The DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION MANAGEMENT module focuses on business processes, analyzing their characteristics and the impact of digital transformation. The module is strengthened by the use of Business Process Management (BPM) software.
The module will take care of:
- Business Process and Business Model in digital transformation. Students will be introduced to the management of business processes and the innovation of business models, with reference to their redesign and digitalization.
- IT and ERP. Students will examine the characteristics of corporate information systems and in particular Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and will have the opportunity to apply what they have learned in an experience of mapping different business processes.
- Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation Management. Students will be involved in the topics of AI and digital transformation and their impact on corporate competitiveness, processes and the ability to generate new business models.


KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

1. Developing a theoretical and practical understanding about how competition works, how firms survive, adapt and evolve and how the mechanisms of co-evolution between firms, markets and country systems work.

2. Developing an understanding about about how a company is managed and how the digital technologies are transforming its key business processes, through the acquisition of specific BPM concepts, process optimizing techniques, IT and ERP tools characteristics and digital transformation toolbox.


APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

1. Applying knowledge related to on how enterprise adaptation works, how enterprises and their competitive environments mutually co-evolve, and how the fundamentals of enterprises’ strategy can be implemented through their life cycle.

2. Applying knowledge related to the BPM approach and the use of ERP systems to support the redesign of key business processes with respect to the launch of new business models and digital transformation strategies will strengthen the ability to apply the knowledge.

MAKING JUDGEMENTS

1. Evaluating the sustainability of firms as competitive forces at different stages of their life cycle.

2. Identifying key business processes and emerging business models with respect to digital innovation processes.


COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Exposing business cases in group and in public, also summarizing them, in terms of data visualization, through a brief report/presentation.


LEARNING SKILLS

1. In general, learning to read and understand technical reports, manuals and scientific publications, together with learning to connect topics and ask questions;

2. In particular, and thanks to a "theory-practice" mixed approach, learning to critically analyze competition, business processes and the implications of their digital transformatio

Prerequisites

No pre-requisites

Program

The key topics taught in Module I – ENTERPRISE EVOLUTION – are the following:

PART I – EVOLUTION AND SOCIAL DARWINISM (Week 1)
• Enteprise Evolution: Charles Darwin’s Legacy?
• From Evolution to Co-Evolution
• Case Study: Accenture

PART II – ENTEPRISES AND NATURAL SELECTION (Week 2)
• The First Years of Life
• The “Liability of Newness” and Unicorns
• Case Studies: Stripe, SpaceX, Canva

PART III – ENTEPRISES AND COMPETITIVE SELECTION (Week 3)
• On Competition
• Corporate and Business Strategies
• Case Studies: Facebook, Tweelin, Azimut

PART IV - MODELS OF ENTERPRISE EVOLUTION (Week 4)
• Models of firm's life cycle - Part I (Levitt, Steinmetz, Parks)
• Models of firm's life cycle - Part II (Dewhurst & Burns, Pettigrew, Scott)
• Case Study: Unilever

PART V – CRISIS AND RESTRUCTURING OF ENTEPRISES (Week 5)
• Corporate Crises as Ineffective Adaptations
• Boards of Directors and Turnaround Management
• Case Studies: Enron, Fiat Group Automobiles

PART VI – STRATEGIC DECISION MAKING (Week 6)
• Bounded Rationality, Traps and Self-Reinforcing
• Personality-Based Executive Decision Making
• Behavioral Strategy

Books

For Module I – Enterprise Evolution – the compulsory references are the following articles:

- Abatecola G. (2009), “Bridging Adaptation Perspectives to Explore Corporate Crisis Determinants. Evidence from Fiat”, International Journal of Business & Economics, 8(1): 163-185.

- Abatecola G. (2012), “Interpreting Corporate Crises. Towards a Co-Evolutionary Approach”, Futures, 44(10): 860-869.

- Abatecola G. (2014a), “Research in Organizational Evolution. What Comes Next?”, European Management Journal, 32(3): 434-443.

- Abatecola G. (2014b), “Untangling Self-Reinforcing Processes in Managerial Decision Making. Co-Evolving Heuristics?”, Management Decision, 52(2): 934-949.

- Abatecola G. (2019), “Prioritizing Short-Term Goals in Behavioural Strategy: Lessons from Enron – 20 Years On”, International Journal of Business and Management.

- Abatecola G., Cafferata R., Poggesi S. (2012), “Arthur Stinchcombe’s Liability of Newness. Contribution and Impact of the Construct”, Journal of Management History, 18(4): 402-418.

- Abatecola G., Farina V., Gordini N. (2014), “Board Effectiveness in Corporate Crises. Lessons from the Evolving Empirical Research”, Corporate Governance, 14(4): 531-542.

- Abatecola G., Mandarelli G., Poggesi S. (2013), “The Personality Factor. How 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.

- Cafferata R., Abatecola G. (2017), Enterprise Evolution. Teaching Notes, Texmat, Rome.

- Cristofaro M. (2017), “Countervailing the Liability of Newness by Bringing in Active Investors: The Case of Facebook”, Strategic Direction, 33(8): 1-3.

Bibliography

For module 1 - Enterprise Evolution

- Abatecola G. (2009), “Bridging Adaptation Perspectives to Explore Corporate Crisis Determinants. Evidence from Fiat”, International Journal of Business & Economics, 8(1): 163-185.

- Abatecola G. (2012), “Interpreting Corporate Crises. Towards a Co-Evolutionary Approach”, Futures, 44(10): 860-869.

- Abatecola G. (2014a), “Research in Organizational Evolution. What Comes Next?”, European Management Journal, 32(3): 434-443.

- Abatecola G. (2014b), “Untangling Self-Reinforcing Processes in Managerial Decision Making. Co-Evolving Heuristics?”, Management Decision, 52(2): 934-949.

- Abatecola G. (2019), “Prioritizing Short-Term Goals in Behavioural Strategy: Lessons from Enron – 20 Years On”, International Journal of Business and Management.

- Abatecola G., Cafferata R., Poggesi S. (2012), “Arthur Stinchcombe’s Liability of Newness. Contribution and Impact of the Construct”, Journal of Management History, 18(4): 402-418.

- Abatecola G., Farina V., Gordini N. (2014), “Board Effectiveness in Corporate Crises. Lessons from the Evolving Empirical Research”, Corporate Governance, 14(4): 531-542.

- Abatecola G., Mandarelli G., Poggesi S. (2013), “The Personality Factor. How 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.

- Cafferata R., Abatecola G. (2017), Enterprise Evolution. Teaching Notes, Texmat, Rome.

- Cristofaro M. (2017), “Countervailing the Liability of Newness by Bringing in Active Investors: The Case of Facebook”, Strategic Direction, 33(8): 1-3.

Exam Rules

The exam is based on an open-ended written test, taken in two steps (in the morning the written test on Module I [1 hour, 3 questions] and in the afternoon the written test on Module II [1 hour, 3 questions] respectively). In terms of evaluation, all the questions have the same weight. The overall grade is the average of the performance in the two modules:

- in module I attending and non attending students will have the possibility to improve their final evaluation through performing group project works (up to 3 additional points);

- in module II students (attending and non-attending) will have the opportunity to improve their final grade through a group project on the business process digitalization (up to 3 additional points).

The results of the written test, and of the project works (module I) and the forum (module II) as well, are always communicated via the course website.

On this premise:

1) Excellent answers are those that represent an appropriate mix between theory and practice (i.e. business examples). Theoretical connections among the different topics are also very welcome.

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

3) Students can receive insights about their written evaluation during the first office hours immediately available after the test’s date.

4) Students can decide to refuse a grade when not satisfied. Being present in any given call automatically means refusing a grade taken previously.

5) Students who result not sufficient in one given call can perform the exam again in any subsequent call.


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.