Insegnamento a.a. 2024-2025

• The structure and governance of firms.
• Theories of the firm: stakeholders and shareholders.
• Agency and corporate governance mechanisms.
• Learning to read financial statements (income statement and balance sheet). 
• Measuring performance through financial ratios.
• Strategic analysis and managerial decisions.
• Economies of scale and production capacity.
• Economies of scope and diversification decisions.
• Vertical integration.
• The competitive environment: market structures and industries.
• Creating and sustaining the competitive advantage.
• Organizations and values.
• Organizational structures.
• Leaders and top management teams.

Expected Teaching Plan

• Know about the role and functioning of business firms in modern economic systems.

• Know the basic concepts and language of the economic analysis of firms' processes.

• Discern the most relevant tools in management accounting.

• Understand the economic rationales behind a wide array of corporate strategic decisions.

• Know the wide range of decisions faced by managers and of the underlying economic analysis supporting them.

• Develop an awareness of the complementary roles that different actors play in modern economic systems.

• Assess the financial condition of firms by using analytical tools and methods from management accounting.

• Being able to take basic managerial decisions, using the tools and decision-making models developed during the course. 
• Apply the theoretical notions of management to the analysis of practical business cases.

• Lectures
• Practical Exercises
• Collaborative Works / Assignments

Class sessions will be interactive and will rely upon the ideas and examples provided by class members.

A number of exercises, teaching cases, simulations, and practical illustrations will be used.

Class will include:

• Face-to-face lectures.
• In-class exercises: quantitative exercises on the most common management decisions.
• Case-study discussions: discussion of real company cases, including analysis of their governance structure, strategy, and performance.

ATTENDING STUDENTS

The assessment of attending students is based on a written exam with a mix of open and closed questions (alternatively, two partial - 45 minutes each - or a single final general exam – 90 minutes).

The exam consists of theoretical and practical open and/or closed questions with analysis of real or realistic business cases, as well as exercises on a financial statement.

The exam allows to assess students’ knowledge of the basic concepts and language of the economic analysis of firms' processes, and of the wide range of decisions faced by managers and of the underlying economic analysis supporting them.

Through exercises, it is possible to assess the ability to take basic managerial decisions, using the tools and decision-making models developed during the course.

NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

The assessment method for non-attending students is based on a final written exam.

It is composed of open and closed theoretical questions related to concepts, models and examples contained in the texts and exam materials, plus exercises.

Both open and closed questions are mainly aimed at verifying the learning of the concepts, methods and tools illustrated in the teaching material and their correct understanding, and therefore the full achievement of the expected learning outcomes of the course.

• Besanko D., Dranove D., Shanley M., Schaefer S. “Economics of Strategy”. Wiley, 2016

• Walsh J. “Key Management Ratios”. Prentice Hall, 2016

• Case studies from the Harvard Business School Case Library.