Ateneo - UPO

Part I of the course: Introduction to business strategy: definitions compared; • Analysis of industrial sectors; • Identification of the strategic structure of the company; • Evaluation of the business formula; • Strategic management; • Analysis of the structure of the private and public sector; • The value network; • Competitive dynamics; • Strategic innovation. • Corporate Social Responsibility; • Business ethics. Part II of the course: Human resources strategies. - Human work: meanings and challenges - Ethics and corporate social responsibility - Metamorphosis of work - People management and people caring - Technology vs Humanity: the challenge of the digital revolution.

Reference texts Part I of the course (Strategies, policies, corporate governance)
- Invernizzi, G. (a cura di) (2014). Le strategie competitive, McGraw-Hill.
- Reference materials are made available to professors on the course "dir" page.

Reference texts Part II of the course (Human resources strategies)
- Maggi, D. (2026). La perona e il lavoro. Interlinea.
- Tomé, M. (2017). People Management. Wolters Kluwer.
- Maggiolini, P. (a cura di) (2012), Ciò che è bene per la società e bene per l'impresa. Franco Angeli. (capitoli 1,2,3,5).
- Reference materials are made available to professors on the course "dir" page.

The course aims to develop in students a critical understanding of the objectives, of the
principles and methods of Strategic Management and Business Ethics in different contexts
profit, non-profit and public companies.
At the end of the course the students will acquire an understanding of the topics and the critical issues
referring to company strategy, social responsibility and business ethics, in their
theoretical and practical aspects and with reference to the national and international dimension.

Students who access the course must know the theoretical framework, the terminology
basic and the main tools related to general management theories.

The teaching activity includes lectures, seminars, exercises and case analysis. Lessons
give a picture of the main themes of business strategy, social responsibility and
business ethics. The seminars will offer an in-depth analysis of specific aspects and
they will allow to develop a critical understanding. The exercises and the analysis of the
cases will be used to discuss the practical implications of the topics covered

Project Work, Assignement in small groups and educational workshops with oral presentation in the classroom (optional).
Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities
Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.
The program's approach pays particular attention to the gender dimension, particularly in the section dealing with governance and human resources management.

The exam is written and individual for both attending and non-attending students. It consists of five questions covering the entire course syllabus. Each question will carry a maximum score of 6 points.

First part of the course
- The boundaries of industry analysis: definition, fundamental competitive forces, barriers to entry, internal competition, substitute products, bargaining power of buyers and suppliers;
- Basic competitive strategies: overall cost leadership (levers and advantages), differentiation (levers and advantages), segmentation (levers and advantages), differences between strategies, "stuck-in-the-middle" strategies, risks associated with basic strategies;
- Analysis of internal industry structure: components of competitor analysis, objectives of strategic units, group objectives, competitor portfolio analysis, analysis of competitor strengths and weaknesses, the scope of strategic alternatives, strategic groupings, rivalry among firms;
- Industry evolution: product life cycle, processes of change, industry shifts; strategy in emerging industries (characteristics, development constraints, strategic alternatives, timing of entry); transition to industry maturity (characteristics of mature industries, transition traps, organizational implications of maturity);
- Strategic management of innovation: inventions and innovations, the innovation process, profitability of innovation, appropriability of innovation rents, strategies for economic value creation;
- Corporate growth: growth strategies (intensive, integrative, diversification); advantages and disadvantages of vertical integration; concentric and pure diversification; forms of growth: dimensional, relational, qualitative.
- Strategic management in the public and non-profit sectors: analysis of different approaches, rationales, and tools within a functional view of the public interest, aimed at reducing the overlap between strategies and public policies.
- Corporate governance: organizational, administrative, and accounting structures.

Second part of the course:
- The individual and human work: the evolution of human work within companies over time and its significance at both the individual and organizational levels.
- Ethics and social responsibility regarding primary stakeholders: employees and capital providers.
- The Industry 4.0 revolution and work.
- Corporate culture as a critical factor in the development of the People Strategy.

1. Applying knowledge and understanding.
The knowledge acquired during the course will allow the students to use the strategic, managerial and organizational skills and competences to be applied in the business realities. In particular, the students must acquire the technical-economic language of the company disciplines and be able to formulate the economic analysis of the company processes and to understand the critical elements that characterize the areas of activity carried out by the company.

2. Making judgments.
The course will allow the students to develop an autonomy of judgment and will put the students in the conditions to express considerations regarding the company balances and management facts.

3. Communication skills.
On the basis of the acquired knowledge, the students will be able to develop communication and relational skills for the business consulting activity and to perform evaluations of a strategic nature, in the job positions related to the relative function.

4. Learning skills.
The study of the discipline will allow the students to understand the dynamics of the company framing the analysis of the single management moment in the unitary and coordinated vision of the business facts and the economic environment in which the company carries out its activity.