CORPORATE STRATEGY

SECS-P/08 - 6 CFU - 1° Semester

Teaching Staff

VINCENZO PISANO


Learning Objectives

1. Knowledge and understanding:

At the end of the course, students will have understood the relevance of the aspects that are common to finance and firm’s strategy and will know the logics related to value creation. The course aims to the acquisition of the theoretical principles concerning the main decisions of corporate strategy and the financial decisions supporting them. Together with the theoretical notions, the course aims to provide students with the necessary competences of professional nature that they need to be able to apply the learned methods and models to the work environment once they get out of university and begin their professional history.

2. Applying knowledge and understanding:

Students will acquire knowledge and skills at both theoretical and practical level with regard to the selection of proper financial choices of strategic importance to the firm. Special attention is thus devoted to the understanding and learning of the analytical instruments exhibited in class. Furthermore, through the presentation of real life case studies, the course aims to develop students’ critical abilities.

3. Making judgments:

Students will acquire autonomy of judgment and the ability to connect the theoretical arguments and the related implementation plans, with special attention to the strategic decisions that firms implement to create or improve their value. In this regard, the course will stimulate students’ critical thinking.

4. Communication skills:

Students will acquire communication abilities and appropriateness in the use of the technical jargon regarding the main decisions of corporate strategy. Each student will be in the position to discuss with others and transfer them – in a clear and precise manner – information, analyses, projects and proposals concerning complex issues of strategic and financial nature.

5. Learning skills:

Students are provided with the right stimulus and hints to actively participate to the learning process in class and to improve their studying methods at individual level, with the aim to more effectively learn the topics. During the course, the instructor will verify the learning of the knowledge transmitted, modeling the method and the teaching rhythms in view of the effective class composition and interaction among its components. In this way, students will aim to acquire a high learning ability, in both theoretical and practical terms, making it easier for her/him to enter the work environment.


Course Structure

As clarified in the University regulation, attending classes is usually compulsory for all students.

Class lectures. Students will be involved in class discussions and stimulation. These are aspects considered essential for learning. Hence, attending classes is strongly recommended. Students must go to class ready to discuss the material previously assigned for home.

 

Exams are given in oral form. All arguments specified on Syllabus may be used during exams. The exam evaluation depends on the following criteria:

- knowledge of arguments,

- appropriateness of technical jargon,

- adequacy of answers in relation to questions,

- abilities in connecting the discussed arguments,

- logical abilities in discussing arguments,

- capacities to contextualize the topic with practical examples from real life firms,

- critical thinking and active participation to class discussions.

To book for exams is always necessary following indications available online at:

http://www.economia.unict.it/Didattica/Diario-esami

 



Detailed Course Content

Corporate Strategy is a topic proposing a deep study of the strategic and financial logics behind the main decisions taken by managers, especially those in top managerial positions. Overall, a firm strategy is the outcome of a complex set of choices that, usually, are limited by the firm’s availability of financial resources. Strategy, in this regard, is defined as the set of managerial initiatives aiming to achieve superior performances in comparison to rivals. Students are required to comprehend and consequently develop a reasoning process about the main aspects related to those themes.

The course is organized in two parts. In the first, we will focus on the corporate instruments employed by managers to create value, on the systemic nature characterizing the decisions of corporate strategy, on the relationships between internal and external variables, on the links between strategy, governance and finance and, finally, on the financial strategy employed by the firm. In the second part, we will examine some specific typologies of strategic decisions, such as international diversification, and the acquiring, collaborative, and co-opetitive strategies, as much as those related to the creation of a foreign basement (i.e. greenfield). In line with the main goals of the degree, special attention will be given to the economic evaluation of such strategy.



Textbook Information

1. Punaram P. & Vanneste B. (2016 – ristampato nel 2017), Corporate Strategy: Tools for Analyzing and Decision-Making, Cambridge University Press.

2. Pisano, V. (2012), Le modalità d’entrata nei mercati internazionali: il ruolo dell’integration manager nella governance d’impresa, Franco Angeli, Milano.

3. Didactic Material (standard, supplementary, in form of slides and academic or press papers) provided online by the instructor on STUDIUM.

 




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