Business Administration

This course develops an appreciation of both theoretical and practical conceptions of public relations. Although examples are drawn primarily from Swedish, UK, and US experience, students are invited to consider public relations in a broader transnational and global context. Emphasis is placed on understanding the changing nature of the discipline, including those driven by the increasing importance of digital platforms and channels. The course develops the student’s ability to consider public relations as a strategic activity and builds familiarity with the public relations toolkit. The range of tactical devices employed for delivering organizational messages and engaging with a range of stakeholder groups. This includes developing techniques for measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of such activity. As well as critically examining the reality of what is sometimes described as the “professional project” students are encouraged to consider ethical issues surrounding public relations activity, including power imbalances and tensions around truth, persuasion, authenticity, transparency and legitimacy.

This course provides an overview of the accounting techniques used by managers in the areas of planning, directing, controlling, and decision-making. Students learn cost concepts, product costing systems, budgeting, and performance evaluation tools such as the balanced scorecard. The course emphasizes developing analytical skills to interpret and apply cost accounting information for effective management decisions.

The primary objective of this course is to build the foundation of cost and managerial accounting, which provides information that is essential for management’s strategic planning and decisions. Unlike financial accounting, which is intended for external parties, cost and managerial accounting is primarily designed for internal management and staff. Therefore, this course is designed to help you (1) develop the necessary skills and knowledge to prepare reports essential for management decisions and (2) understand the usefulness and limitations of cost and managerial accounting information.

The course is designed to introduce students to the latest developments in behavioral finance and to broaden their understanding of modern finance. Behavioral finance introduces psychological insights and more realistic assumptions to guide and advance the theory of financial markets. We will examine how behavioral finance complements traditional paradigms and study trading behavior, asset price dynamics, and corporate financial decisions in a behavioral context.

This course focuses on analyzing the process of product innovation management from the perspective of customer value, encompassing opportunity identification, concept generation, concept evaluation, new product development, and product launch. It aims to cultivate students' innovative thinking in the design and development of new products while emphasizing corporate social responsibility, ultimately contributing to the sustainable development of enterprises (organizations).

This course teaches how to identify opportunities for innovation and develop user-centered, impactful, and innovative digital solutions that respond to real-world needs. Through a combination of theoretical insights and practical tasks, explore how new digital solutions can drive change across various industries and societal needs.

Work in teams on real-world problems, realize bold ideas, and develop MVPs (minimum viable products) with mentoring and supervision. Key skills include market analysis, requirement elicitation, innovation strategy, solution making, and effective pitching.

This course covers marketing concepts, terms, theories, and tools necessary for the successful development of new products from idea generation to launch. 

Topics include the role of innovation and new product development in organizations and society, Success and failure for industrial and consumer innovations, the new product development process, Strategic planning, Product concepts, New product ideas: problem-based and dimensional approaches, Concept/product evaluation, Demand and forecasting estimation, Product protocol/design, Development.  

In addition to mid-term and final exams, students complete a class project including a presentation and report. 

The legal framework for private international business transactions regulates the international sale of goods, imports/exports, technology transfer, intellectual property, and foreign direct investment. We consider such topics generally and in specific situations. Focusing largely on transactions between private parties, the central goal of this course is to understand the importance of international business transactions and the legal framework surrounding the topic. After successful completion of this course, students have basic information allowing them to be aware of and adhere to laws surrounding a variety of international business transactions. The main goals of this course are as follows: (1) to understand the importance of international business transactions; (2) to understand the legal framework surrounding the international business transactions; and (3) to understand the specific legal issues regarding international business transactions compared to domestic transactions. 

The course covers financial economics viewed from the perspective of shareholders of a firm. It includes an introduction to financial economics with a focus on investing in stock markets, as well as stock valuation, but also the valuation of risky cash flows from a social perspective. The course examines the issue of corporate governance and, in particular, how to assess the governance of a given firm. Moreover, it discusses trading strategies of investors in stock markets. The course concludes with a two-day workshop in which students work on case studies, analyzing current issues with respect to corporate governance.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. This course advances students' knowledge in: 

• Developing knowledge and critical understanding of the most relevant models and theories of competitive and corporate strategy;
• Conducting structured strategic external and internal analyses considering both organizational performance, resources and capabilities, and the features of the competitive arena;
• Identifying and developing strategic options, applying appropriate models and frameworks, and evaluate their limitations;
• Evaluating contemporary and ethical issues that may impact upon strategic choices;
• Working collaboratively to develop, evaluate and present strategic recommendations to an international senior audience.

This course enables students to understand the prominent concepts and theories of competitive and corporate strategy. The study of the core elements of strategic management are combined with the development of the skillset to apply strategy models and tools to case studies from different industries, such as finance and banking arena, including the emergent fintech and digital companies. Students will have the chance to develop their collaborative skills in a role game as consultants to advise the management of a corporation.