BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The module is part of the bachelor degree course in business administration. The aim of the module is to introduce students to the study of organizations and their dynamics. At the end of the module, students who have obtained at least a sufficient evaluation will master a technical-scientific language specific to the business economics and organizational disciplines and will know:
- what are the mechanisms that influence the operation of organizations at the individual and collective level (work groups, organizational units, organizations);
- the models for studying organizational structures (physical and social), organizational culture and power in organizations;
- the schemes for analyzing/interpreting the impact of technologies on work and organizations;
- the models for studying the organizational environment.
Course Prerequisites
- Advanced knowledge of English
- Basic knowledge of the European social, historical and cultural context, and awareness of current global dynamics.
Teaching Methods
- Frontal lectures and discussion of examples, cases, newspaper/magazine articles, film excerpts, documentaries, etc.
- Understanding examples and cases requires, on the one hand, basic knowledge of general culture; on the other hand, it requires a basic knowledge of current political, economic, social and cultural events developed starting from reading reliable sources.
Assessment Methods
Written exam at the end of the module, in electronic format, lasting 35 minutes, consisting of:
- ten closed multiple-choice questions (to understand whether the student has learned the meaning of the fundamental concepts),
- one open question (to understand whether the student has acquired the ability to relate the fundamental concepts and/or apply the concepts to specific empirical contexts).
Each one of the closed questions is worth 1 point; the open question is worth a maximum of 21 points. The exam aims to ascertain the intellectual maturity of the students and their organic preparation in the subject on which the exam is based, without limiting itself to the notions imparted by the professor and/or the textbook. In particular, the answer to the open question is evaluated according to the following criteria: relevance to the question; exhaustiveness to the question; proposal of appropriate connections; synthesis (no redundancies and repetitions); propriety of language; clarity of exposition. The final grade is given by the sum of the scores obtained in the closed questions and in the open question. The open question is correct and evaluated only if the score for the closed questions is at least 6 points. The exam takes place, in one or more shifts, at the computer lab.
The exam focuses on the contents of the textbook, lessons, slides and material made available within the e-learning platform of the course.
The textbook, to be studied fully, is:
- Hatch M.J. 2018.Organization Theory: Modern, Symbolic, and Postmodern Perspectives (4th Ed.) OUP Press.
Please doublecheck “Leganto - Testi d'esame” e “Materiali didattici online (e-learning)” for additional information.
Contents
This module addresses the topic of organizations, providing answers to the following questions: what are organizations? what do they do? how do they change? how have they been studied? In particular, the module analyzes the organizational mechanisms that regulate the functioning of organizations: the foundations of organizational theories are presented and how these foundations are connected to business strategy and the disciplines of sociology, economics and social psychology; it discusses how much the organization contributes to achieving results of efficiency, effectiveness, justice taking into account the environment (economic, competitive and institutional context), power dynamics and technological evolution. Furthermore, some issues relevant to the social transition (for example, the importance of social sustainability, diversity and inclusion), ecological (for example, the impact of global warming on the organizational environment of organizations) and technological (for example, the impact of digital technologies on the quantity and quality of work) are addressed. All this in line with the department's project of excellence.
Online Resources
More information
Any slides/cases/examples/articles used to support the lessons and other information (for example, exam shifts, details of exam results, etc.) are published on the course's e-learning platform.