BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

Course objectives

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.

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GIANLUCA VAGNANI Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
Part one – The firm. Fundamentals. The firm: introductory aspects – Business decisions: informations, representations, drivers and criteria – The boundaries of the firm – The internal context - The external context – The firm's results in the real dimension – The firm's results in the financial dimension – The firm's results in the ESG dimension – A unitary model for analysing firm results. Part two – The enterprise in the systemic-vital perspective. Systemic thinking – The enterprise in the systemic conception – Towards an interpretation of the enterprise as a vital system – Intersystem relations.
Prerequisites
Preparatory exam: Economia Aziendale Previous knowledge: 1) the firm as an economic institute; 2) the enterprise in its most general economic features; 3) company financing; 4) efficiency and costs; 5) company determinations and quantitative surveys as information tool.
Books
- BARILE S., GATTI C., RENZI A., VAGNANI G. (2022), L’impresa. Fondamenti, profili economico-finanziari e sostenibilità, 3a edizione, McGraw-Hill, Milano. - GOLINELLI G.M. (2017), L’approccio sistemico al governo dell’impresa, vol. I, Verso l’impresa sistema sostenibile, 4a edizione, Cedam, Padova, capitoli I, II, III (con l’esclusione del paragrafo 3.11), V.
Frequency
Optional.
Exam mode
The final exam is oral, and includes 5 questions: - the first one is general/introductory; - the second and third ones are theoretical and related the to key definitions included in the course program; - the fourth and fifth ones are applications related to functions, ratios and graphs included in the course program. Each question is worth 6 points out of 30, for an overall maximum of 30 points out of 30. The exam aims to verify the knowledge arguments discussed during the course, as well as analytical and argumentative skills. The student must demonstrate the ability to apply the acquired knowledge and a good ability of making connections among topics. Laude is for brilliant students, capable of making connections among topics, showing critical thinking and proposing personal considerations, also connected to current economic events.
Lesson mode
In class theoretical lessons and applications with the professor.
GIANLUCA VAGNANI Lecturers' profile
  • Lesson code1017104
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • CourseBusiness sciences
  • CurriculumEconomia e commercio (corso serale)
  • Year2nd year
  • Semester1st semester
  • SSDSECS-P/08
  • CFU9