Insegnamento a.a. 2020-2021

The key topics of the course are:

• Introduction – What is sport business and management about?
• The value and values of sport
• Business Models in Sports: The North American vs International model
• The Internationalizations of Sport
• Leadership in sports.
• Understanding Football Clubs’ accounting
• UEFA Financial Fair Play and financial landscape
• Facility Management

• Recognize the specific managerial features of the sport industry, regarding multiple areas such as strategy, organization, leadership, accounting and finance.
• Identify and evaluate the main topics, trends and challenges that nowadays affect the sport industry at an international level.
• Compare business models in Sport (such as North American and European Model).
• Develop sport values that will enhance their opportunities for further studies, life-long learning and employment.

• Apply in the sport entities theories, concepts, frameworks, methods and instruments regarding the business and the management of sports.
• Combine multiple key managerial issues (such as strategy, organization, leadership, accounting and finance) in a specific and unique industry.
• Face problems and questions related to managerial issues of a sport entity, such as organizational aspects, stakeholders’ management or investment decisions.
• Operate effectively in sport business environments whilst aware of the moral and ethical considerations affecting sport management and management of people and services.

• Face-to-face lectures
• Online lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Company visits
• Exercises (exercises, database, software etc.)
• Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)
• Group assignments
• Interactive class activities (role playing, business game, simulation, online forum, instant polls)

The teaching method is built around an intensive mixture of lectures, guest speakers, visits, group works, class participation, video, readings and case studies.

• Students are supposed to prepare case studies before class in order to take full advantage of the in-class learning experience and participate pro-actively in the discussions. Case studies are distributed in digital copy on the Bboard platform and are discussed either individually or as group exercise. The case studies of the course are selected in order to provide the students with effective insights in the learning process of applying theoretical concepts to real situations. Furthermore, students can improve their communication and interpersonal skills during the activities related to the in-class discussions.
• The know-how of sports systems is a natural consequence of daily activities and strategic decisions of market leaders and key global players. This is the main added value of having high-level access to professionals within the sports business, ones that students have the chance to meet both during guest speakers’ in-class sessions and on field visits.
• The professors integrate speakers’ contribution with lectures in order to guarantee high standards for the students’ learning experience.
• Finally, for group case discussions and group Final Project preparation, students work as team members in analyzing problems, discussing potential solutions and preparing and presenting reports, developing soft skills that are nowadays essential in any work environment, especially in the sport industry.

With the purpose of measuring the acquisition of the above-mentioned learning outcomes, the student assessment is based on two main components:

• 50% of the grade: written exam based on multiple choice questions (no penalties for mistakes), which aims to assess the student’s learning level of the theoretical models, concepts, methods and tools shared during the lectures.
• 50% of the grade: group Final Project. This consists in the analysis of real cases and it gives the chance to the students to apply the theoretical concepts taught in the course in a well-known sport organization (chosen by the students).

The evaluation is based on both the final report uploaded on Bboard and the in-class presentation, following four dimensions:

• STRUCTURE: is the output well-structured with clear main points and excellent transitions? Is the document well organized and balanced among the sections? Does it flow easily from point to point?
• RESEARCH: is there a depth and breadth of evidence presented to support the project and analysis? Are key points supported by evidence?
• ANALYSIS: is there a clear link among theory, evidence and recommendations? Are the conclusions fresh and interesting with novel connections to class and outside material?
• COMMUNICATION: is the presentation interesting and easy to follow, with a logical flow of ideas? Is the presentation or exhibit attractive and do the design choices complement the main points?

Only students who have prepared the Final Project are considered as attending. Furthermore, to be considered attending students it is necessary to participate in the last lecture of the course, when Final Projects is presented to the professors and to the class. If an attending student does not take the exam in May or June, the grade of the Final Project is lost. Once a student passes the exam, the grade has to be accepted.

100% of the grade: written exam based on multiple choice questions (no penalties for mistakes), which aims to assess the student’s learning level of the theoretical models and the main concepts shared in the books and in the slides, as well as well the student’s ability to apply the theory to real cases. Once a student passes the exam, the grade has to be accepted.

• For Attending students:

• The materials indicated for each session (slides, cases and exercises presented and discussed in class, reports, academic papers…)
• R. HOYE, A. SMITH, M. NICHOLSON, et al., Sport Management: principles and applications, Routledge, 2018 (chapters 1, 7, 10)
• P. GUENZI, D. RUTA, Leading Teams: Tools and Techniques for Successful Team Leadership from the Sports, 2013, 1st ed., Jossey-Bass (chapter 3)

• R. HOYE, A. SMITH, M. NICHOLSON, et al., Sport Management: principles and applications, Routledge, 2018 (chapters 1, 4, 6, 7, 10, 13)
• P. GUENZI, D. RUTA, Leading Teams: Tools and Techniques for Successful Team Leadership from the Sports, 2013, 1st ed., Jossey-Bass (chapters 3, 4, 5, 6)
• All slides uploaded on Blackboard by the professors.