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Course 2019-2020 a.y.

20148 - BUSINESS HISTORY

M
Department of Social and Political Sciences

For the instruction language of the course see class group/s below

Go to class group/s: 31 - 32 - 33 - 34

M (6 credits - II sem. - OBCUR  |  SECS-P/12)
Course Director:
ANDREA COLLI

Classes: 33 (II sem.) - 34 (II sem.)
Instructors:
Class 33: ANDREA COLLI, Class 34: MICHELE D'ALESSANDRO

Class group/s taught in English

Class-group lessons delivered  on campus

Suggested background knowledge

In order to achieve an effective learning experience, a preliminary background in fundamentals of global economic and social history it is recommended.


Mission & Content Summary
MISSION

How does entrepreneurship develop, and contribute to economic growth and development? Which are the drivers’ of entrepreneurial decisions? How do entrepreneurs act in uncertain and risky environments? In which way entrepreneurs’ choices impact on organizations? Is entrepreneurship constrained, or supported, by the context? Entrepreneurship is one of the most intriguing and mysterious components of modern economies. This course in business history focuses on the challenges entrepreneurs faced in the past, on their successes and blunders, in order to highlight some of the main issues in the evolution of the modern economies around the World. With this approach, the course assesses the crucial contribution of entrepreneurs and business to the creation of the present global economy. Students therefore understand better, through real-life examples, key issues in management and strategy.

CONTENT SUMMARY

Part 1 – The Essence of Entrepreneurship

  • Capitalism and the Modern Enterprise.
  • The Essence of Entrepreneurship.
  • Entrepreneurs, Uncertainty and Risk.
  • Creative Destroyers.
  • Organization Builders.
  • Constrained Entrepreneurship? The Context’s Burden.
  • Managers as Entrepreneurs.
  • Bureaucrats in Business.
  • Archimedes in Business.
  • The Systemic Effects of Entrepreneurship.

Part 2 – Entrepreneurship Around the World:

  • The Japanese recipe.
  • Capitalism Against Capitalism.
  • The New Entrepreneurship.
  • The Emerging Countries: Families, States and Groups.
  • Entrepreneurship and Politics.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Understand better the concept of entrepreneurship and its multi-faceted meanings.
  • Understand the power of the context in shaping entrepreneurial and managerial decisions.
  • Explain the micro-foundations of modern economic development.
  • Discuss and understand the impact of technological change on the opportunities and challenges entrepreneurs and organizations face.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Dissect the components of entrepreneurial decisions.
  • Understand the context in which decisions are made, and the concept of bounded rationality.
  • Compare different institutional, political, geographic contexts.
  • Discuss the complex relationship between politics and business.
  • Develop skills in academic writing.

Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face lectures
  • Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
  • Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)
  • Group assignments
  • Interactive class activities (role playing, business game, simulation, online forum, instant polls)
DETAILS

The learning method in this course blends traditional frontal lectures with the vision of two movies, all connected to the concept of entrepreneurship. A group work of 800 words commenting each movie and putting it in relation with the themes developed in the course, will be required. In addition, students will be individually engaged in the discussion of cases and incidents – some of them interactive - which should be prepared in advance of each class. The teaching method is completed by in class pop-up questions, some role-playing and the use of Instagram (experimental) as a teaching tool.


Assessment methods
  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
  •     x
  • Group assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
  • x    
  • Active class participation (virtual, attendance)
  • x    
    ATTENDING STUDENTS

    The assessment of the attending students’ preparation are composed by three items:

    1. A final written exam based on a section of true/false with motivation questions, a section of multiple choice questions, a section of short open questions and the comment of maps/graphs related to the course’s contents. This item allows the instructor to provide an evaluation of the students’ acquired knowledge and understanding of facts and concepts provided during the lectures and class activities. This item is graded according to the existing rules in a scale from 1 to 30. This part tests the understanding of the key concepts developed in the course.
    2. The group essays commenting the movies, each one graded in a scale from 0 to 1 and averaged, generating an additional grading to be added to the one at the previous point, up to a maximum of 1 point.
    3. Class participation (discussion, pop-up questions and other), up to 1 (one) additional point to be added to the final grade, at total discretion of the instructor.
    • Parts 2) and 3) test the students ability to synthesize narratives, and develop critical thinking.
    • The written exam lasts one hour (60 minutes) and consists of:
      • 6 True/False questions with motivation - up to 12 points (0-2 points each)
      • 4 open questions to be answered in no more than 5 lines each - up to 12 points (0-3 points each).
      • 1 article/table/graph to comment on - up to 6 points.
    NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

    The exam is in a written form and has the same structure as the written exam of attending students. A number of additional questions are added, in order to check the study of additional materials.

    • The written exam lasts one hour (60 minutes) and consists of:
      • 7 T/F questions with motivaton - up to 14 points (0-2 points each).
      • 4 open questions to be answered in no more than 5 lines each - up to 12 points (0-3 points each).
      • 1 article/table/graph to comment on - up to 5 points.

    Teaching materials
    ATTENDING STUDENTS
    • F. AMATORI, A. COLLI, Business History: complexities and comparisons, Routledge 2010.
    • T. KHANNA, K. PALEPU, "Why focused strategies may be wrong for emerging markets”, Harvard Business Review, July-August 1997.
    • L. THUROW, Who owns the Twenty-First Century?,  Sloan Management Review, Spring 1992.
    • Class materials available on the class website (cases and incidents).
    • Class notes and PowerPoint presentations of each lesson.
    NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
    • F. AMATORI, A. COLLI, Business History: complexities and comparisons, Routledge 2010.
    • W. BAUMOL, R. LITAN, C.SCHRAMM, Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism and the economics of growth and prosperity, Yale U.P. 2007.
    • T. KHANNA, K. PALEPU, "Why focused strategies may be wrong for emerging markets”, Harvard Business Review, July-August 1997.
    • L. THUROW, Who owns the Twenty-First Century?,  Sloan Management Review, Spring 1992.
    • Class materials available on the class website (cases and incidents).
    Last change 10/06/2019 19:21

    Classi: 31 (II sem.) - 32 (II sem.)
    Docenti responsabili delle classi:
    Classe 31: MARINA NICOLI, Classe 32: MARINA NICOLI

    Classe/i impartita/e in lingua italiana

    Class-group lessons delivered  on campus

    Conoscenze pregresse consigliate

    La conoscenza di elementi base di microeconomia, economia aziendale e organizzazione puo' facilitare l'apprendimento proficuo dell'insegnamento.


    Mission e Programma sintetico
    MISSION

    Il corso esamina l’origine e l’evoluzione dell’impresa industriale moderna lungo gli ultimi due secoli. La prospettiva di lungo periodo consente di sottolineare continuità e mutamenti, soffermandosi sul ruolo rivestito dalla tecnologia e dagli elementi socio-istituzionali nell’influenzare le strategie e le strutture a livello corporate. L’unità di indagine è, dunque, l’impresa, al centro di un’analisi di ampio respiro finalizzata a porre in evidenza i legami esistenti tra le dinamiche in atto a livello micro e quelle più generali, attinenti alla ricchezza della nazione. La prospettiva adottata è, inoltre, ampiamente comparativa e fa perno sulle macro-regioni alla testa dell’economia mondiale, ovvero Stati Uniti, Europa e Asia. Particolare enfasi viene dedicata all'emergere di modelli imprenditoriali in ambito nazionale e internazionale e alle loro relazioni col sistema economico, politico e sociale.

    PROGRAMMA SINTETICO
    • Temi e problemi. La storia d’impresa tra evoluzione dell’impresa e dell’imprenditorialità.
    • L’impresa nella prima rivoluzione industriale: tecnologia e società di fronte alla fabbrica.
    • La nascita e il consolidamento della grande impresa. I riflessi sulle strutture e sulle strategie.
    • Pattern nazionali nella diffusione della grande impresa.
    • Varianti regionali tra Stato e mercato: Stati Uniti, Europa, Giappone.
    • L’impresa nell’età dello spazio stretto: dalla seconda guerra mondiale alla terza rivoluzione industriale.
    • Gli anni della globalizzazione: nuove forme, nuovi sfidanti.

    Risultati di Apprendimento Attesi (RAA)
    CONOSCENZA E COMPRENSIONE
    Al termine dell'insegnamento, lo studente sarà in grado di...
    • Conoscere l'origine e l'evoluzione dell'impresa industriale moderna, valutando le risposte imprenditoriali all'evolversi del quadro istituzionale e tecnologico.
    CAPACITA' DI APPLICARE CONOSCENZA E COMPRENSIONE
    Al termine dell'insegnamento, lo studente sarà in grado di...
    • Utilizzare un approccio di natura longitudinale (analisi del passato) per comprendere la complessita' del presente.

    Modalità didattiche
    • Lezioni frontali
    • Testimonianze (in aula o a distanza)
    • Analisi casi studio / Incidents guidati (tradizionali, multimediali)
    • Lavori/Assignment di gruppo
    • Altre attivita' d'aula interattive (role playing, business game, simulation, online forum, instant polls)
    DETTAGLI
    • Testimonianze a cura di imprenditori italiani.
    • Incidents e casi in forma tradizionale e multimediale.

    Metodi di valutazione dell'apprendimento
      Accertamento in itinere Prove parziali Prova generale
  • Prova individuale scritta (tradizionale/online)
  •     x
  • Assignment di gruppo (relazione, esercizio, dimostrazione, progetto etc.)
  • x    
  • Partecipazione in aula (virtuale, fisica)
  • x    
    STUDENTI FREQUENTANTI
    • Esame in forma scritta (domande Vero/Falso e domande aperte): fino a 30 punti.
    • Partecipazione d’aula: fino a 1 punto.
    STUDENTI NON FREQUENTANTI

    Esame in forma scritta (domande Vero/Falso e domande aperte): fino a 31 punti.


    Materiali didattici
    STUDENTI FREQUENTANTI
    • F. AMATORI, A.COLLI, Storia d'impresa: complessità e comparazioni, Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2011.
    • Articoli disponibili in Course Reserve.
    • Casi e incidents disponibili su Bboard.
    STUDENTI NON FREQUENTANTI
    • F. AMATORI, A.COLLI, Storia d'impresa: complessità e comparazioni, Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2011.
    • Articoli disponibili in Course Reserve.
    • Casi e incidents disponibili su Bboard.
    • W. BAUMOL, R. LITAN, C. SCHRAMM,Capitalismo buono capitalismo cattivo. L'imprenditorialità e i suoi nemici, Egea, 2013.
    • Testi d'esame e Articoli on line (verifica disponibilità in Biblioteca).
    Modificato il 29/04/2019 17:17