Economics of Innovation

The course aims to illustrate and transfer knowledge related to the functioning of business organizations and the activities of business decision makers, using multiple disciplinary approaches. Thus, students will acquire an integrated and comprehensive vision of the company, suitable for the development of basic analytical skills, useful in business practice. The course is aimed at allowing students to acquire at least the following expected results: - knowledge and understanding: the students who will pass the final exam will be provided with adequate knowledge about the functioning of the business organizations and the activities of the company decision makers. In particular, they will know the essential tasks and guidelines of governance decisions and will handle the essential tools for setting and controlling the company's evolutionary dynamics, paying attention to the balance between real economy and finance in governance; - applying knowledge and understanding: students passing the final exam will be provided with a realistic and critical vision of modern companies and the tasks of company decision makers. They will know how to combine orientation to results and attention to risks, evaluate efficiency, effectiveness and profitability, set up company dynamics aimed at pursuing economic, financial and organizational balance. They will be able to configure the basic elements of the organizational structure of the company and apply the basic tools of strategic and financial analysis of the company (strategic analysis matrices, cost, revenues, contribution, profit model, operational leverage, financial leverage, performance management and measurement); - making judgements: critical and judgmental skills will be acquired through the illustration of business cases and the discussion of concrete economic and financial business dynamics, as well as through the application of basic tools for strategic and financial analysis; - communication skills: through lectures and in-class discussion, students will be able to expose business issues and related decisions designed to address them, within the general economic framework of the external environment and industry, plan structure and governance decisions, evaluate of the economic-financial results, set organizational and strategic actions and be aware of their implications on performance; - learning skills: thorough class participation, discussion with the teacher, personal study and test, students will acquire the ability to continue their studies independently.