Business Administration

This course examines the functions of financial markets in society. It starts with the history of financial markets, then turns to a non-technical introduction to modern finance theory. Based on a solid understanding of the theory, students are able to interpret information revealed by financial markets and to recognize common abuses of such information in policy-making. The last part of the course concerns the interaction between finance and politics, i.e. how legislation and regulation directly influence the structure of financial markets and how players in these markets intervene in the political process to create or modify legislative and regulatory outcomes. Students participate in economic experiments that illustrate the fragility of financial markets.

The multidisciplinary nature of management is reflected in this course. It examines the conceptual frameworks and techniques of marketing and organizational behavior, which are complementary to one another in reflecting an organization's relation to its internal and external environment. In doing so, the course develops an understanding of the growth of marketing and its role in management. Students consider how the behavior of individuals and groups in organizations may be understood and managed and also how managers might better appreciate the markets and market forces they are committed to dealing with. 

This course provides breadth and depth in organization theory to train the students in advanced problem solving. Put differently, central concepts within organization theory such as power, control, networks, strategy, leadership, change, and learning are discussed and problematized.

This course introduces key concepts and theories in organizational behavior (OB), examining human behavior and behavioral issues in organizations from both individual and organizational perspectives. Topics include perception and decision-making, motivation, team dynamics, leadership, power and influence, and organizational culture. Through application of OB theories, the course develops the ability to critically and creatively analyze management issues at the individual, team, and organizational levels, evaluate risks and benefits of alternative solutions, and apply concepts to real-world business problems. Emphasis is placed on clear and professional communication, effective functioning in multicultural organizational settings, and reflection on personal strengths and areas for development within organizational contexts.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. The course provides a broad view of the major economic, organizational, and governance-related features of several artistic, cultural, and entertainment activities in creative industries. At the end of the course, the student is able to analyze the business model of organizations operating in the cultural and creative industries.

Upon completion of the course, students are able to: Define the distinctive features of organizations operating in the creative industries; Illustrate how these organizations can be financially viable; Apply analytical, planning and control tools such as the business model canvas and revenues and costs analysis; Analyze and critically evaluate the business model and governance solution of an organization operating in the creative industries; Develop and improve presentation skills, both in written and oral form. The course is organized around four themes: Defining creative industries, defining business models and the Business model canvas, understanding better the Costs and Revenues components of the business model canvas, and governance and business model in the creative industries.

This advanced course builds on prerequisite courses in business administration and economics, such as financial accounting, intermediate accounting, financial management, statistics, and economics. This course strengthens an in-depth and balanced view of the usefulness and limitations of financial statement analysis and corporate valuation concepts.  

Topics include Capital raising priorities and investment decisions, Expected shareholder return and performance evaluation, Weighted average cost of capital and return on invested capital, Growth strategy and financial debt, Importance of working capital management, financial liabilities and operating liabilities, New capital securities and investment decisions, Performance evaluation and income statement, Operating cash flow and EBITDA, Strategies and valuation for improving intrinsic value, Utilization of PBR and PER concepts, Diversification and concentration strategies.  

This course will cover the concepts, nature, fundamental pricing principles, major models, applications, and underlying risks of financial derivatives. The derivatives discussed include forwards, futures, options, interest rate derivatives, commodity derivatives, credit derivatives, and other non-standard derivative instruments. In addition to introducing essential theoretical foundations, the course emphasizes the integration of theory with practice. Through real-world case studies, students will gain a deeper understanding of the role and limitations of derivatives in the economy. Furthermore, students will be required to use computational tools (such as VBA-Excel or other programming languages) to implement derivative pricing models and risk management strategies.

This course covers the fundamentals of technological innovation management and strategy. Students explore how firms and nations develop, implement, and manage technological innovation to create competitive advantages in the global market.  

The course focuses on key aspects of firms’ innovation strategy and management, including sources and types of innovation, firms’ decisions regarding market entry with new technologies, evaluation and selection of R&D projects, standards competition, and intellectual property strategies (including patenting strategy). Additionally, students develop analytical skills to work with archival data commonly used in quantitative technology management research, including metadata from research papers and patents. 

Sustainable marketing involves the creation and delivery of value to customers in ways that honor and improve both environmental and societal wellbeing. Through lectures and case studies, this course covers the principles of sustainable marketing across various industries, such as apparel, food, automotive, and technology, and provides an understanding of the sustainable consumer.  

Students learn to develop sustainable marketing strategies and explore how traditional marketing principles are being reshaped by growing sustainability concerns.  

The course defines sustainable marketing and links it to related business concepts like corporate social responsibility and delves into the "triple bottom line" framework, which encompasses economic performance, environmental impact, and social impact. Utilizing real-world examples, the course examines the buy-one-give-one business model through the lens of Bombas, reviews corporate sustainability strategies, and discusses how Allbirds adapts its approach to maintain competitiveness. The courses also covers the characteristics, psychology, and behaviors of sustainable consumers.  

Students are introduced to the Intention-Behavior gap, which highlights the difference between consumers' sustainable attitudes and their actual behaviors. Through the SHIFT framework, students investigate ways to bridge this gap by addressing key factors such as social influence, habit formation, individual identity, feelings and cognition, and tangibility. Additionally, students analyze sustainable consumer trends, including voluntary simplicity, vintage fashion, and sustainable luxury.  

A detailed examination of Norlha, a luxury yak wool textile enterprise on the Tibetan Plateau, provides a case study in sustainable luxury. 

This class then covers the essential steps for creating a sustainable marketing plan, discussing product development and marketing sustainable innovations, and applying these concepts through the Aleph Farms case.  

Next, students learn how to use life cycle analysis to assess the social and ecological impacts of sustainable products and explore issues related to sustainable supply chain management and the management of re-commerce platforms within the circular economy. Finally, we study how to design effective communication campaigns for sustainability goals, illustrated by the General Motors case on electric vehicles. 

This course helps students enhance their communication skills through practical scenarios focused on job-seeking and early-career business communication. Students learn how to communicate effectively to accomplish written and oral tasks in the workplace and be able to develop a useful business communication toolkit targeted at external and internal audiences. The course is designed and structured to address students’ learning needs in job-seeking and in their early careers. The course introduces students to strategies for handling the communication challenges which fresh graduates can expect in diverse work environments. They will have opportunities to learn and practice how to succeed in business writing, presentations, interviews, meetings, and collaborative assignments with the essential interpersonal communication skills such as active listening, cogent argumentation, and clear expression in writing and speaking.