00745 - Business Organisation

Learning outcomes

The target of the course is the providing to the students of the basic knowledge to understand the organization as cognitive synthesis and its implications for the business governance. This synthesis introduces the distinction from operative items and shows deep differences existing in the evaluation of strategic and operative area. At the end of the course the student will be able to understand the organizationalproblems concerning these two areas and to apply analytical tools on the understanding and management of organizational structures and processes together with the evaluation of their performances.

Course contents

The programmeaimt to provide tothe students the basic knowledge to understand the organization as cognitive synthesis and its implications for the business governance. This synthesis introduces the distinction from operative items and shows deep differences existing in the evaluation of strategic and operative area. At the end of the course the student will be able to understand the organizationalproblems concerning these two areas and to apply analytical tools on the understanding and management of organizational structures and processes together with the evaluation of their performances.

We can distinguish:

- The Theory

1. The organization as conoscitive syntesis. An evolutive approach to the theory of organization. Scientific method, human approach, structuralism and theory of systems. Strategy and contingency. Theory of complexity and empirical reductionism. A criticism to the use of models. Adeguate organization and human needs.

2. The organization as method of analysis. The Business field. Structura and procedures. Quantity and quality. Dimension and behaviour. renewal and chanege. Network model.

- The Practice

3. The structure. The principles of organizational structuration. Hierarchical-functional organization, staff & line, Integration, support mechanisms and organisms. Divisional Organization, Networking and network organization.

4. The procedure. The analysis for activity and for processes. Operations, procedures and processes. The sequential procedures, in parallel and cyclic ones. Timing, quantity and costs. The analysis of flows and the workflow management. Management by processes and quality of results.

The deepening of the subjects will be completed by exercitations and case analysis. They will be planned during the course of lectures, as seminars, workshop and experiences in order to face the relevant organizational-business realities.

The specificcontents are:

The Business Management and the Strategic Management. The relationship between the strategy and management in business analysis. Macro and micro dimension of organizational problematics. The management field, the business components, the concept of system: open, controlled, of transformation, dynamic. The business performance evaluation. The enterprise as innovative system, oriented and complex. The renewal system. The hierarchical and functional structure, Vice and staff mechanism, the divisional structure; matrix, project and temporary structure. The adhocracy and network organization.

The scientific organization of job. Human relations School, The structuralism. The system thinking, The contingency and strategic approach. Total Quality Management. From the excellence to network.

The procedure analysis. The techniques PERT and the critical path analysis. The Gantt tool and timing analysis.

The Functions: administration, marketing, human resources, production, logistics, informative systems, Research & Development, finance, strategic management, strategic and operative plans and programmes

The processes of managerial education and enterprise start up: clustering / networking. The evaluation of organizational performances and perception of performance, the project management in international context.

Readings/Bibliography

M. Bianchi, Il sistema organizzativo e le funzioni aziendali, terza edizione, Giappichelli, Torino 2007.

Further materials will be provided during the course as lecture notes.

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures together with seminars, expert evidencesand cases analysis referring to the most advanced experiences of networking management and international project work

Assessment methods

Written test (composed by open questions, multiple choices and exercises)

Office hours

See the website of Massimo Bianchi