B2811 - MANAGERIAL DECISION MAKING

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

This course aims to provide students with an understanding of management based on how people make decisions. Students will gain a basic understanding of how people make decisions and the decision-making processes that result in the behaviors of firms. By the end of the course, the student will develop a critical understanding of the role that management plays in fostering the achievement of organizational goals. At the end of this course, students should be able to: 1. Acquire knowledge of key principles of management and be able to apply this knowledge to the practice critically 2. Understand and apply a selected management topic to a real organizational setting 3. Understand how customers and their characteristics may affect the design of products and brand-related strategies 4. Understand how to guide consumers’ decision-making processes

Contenuti

The course is divided into two modules. Module 1 will be concerned in general with human decision-making in an organizational context, and includes the following topics:

• Characters and limitations of human rationality
• Decision-making processes in organizations
• Power, dependence and organizational structures
• Politics in organizations and organizational goals

Module 2 addresses how practitioners can make decisions to manage consumers’ behavior and perceptions and includes the following topics:

• Understanding customers’ decision making
• Heuristics and decision-making
• Managing decisions about products
• Managing decisions about brands.

Testi/Bibliografia

The recommended books are the following:

• H.A. Simon, Administrative Behavior (4th Edition). The Free Press (1997) ISBN: 978-0684835822
• J.D. Thompson, Organizations in Action: Social Science Bases of Administrative Theory. McGraw-Hill (1967), Transaction Publishers (2003) ISBN: 978-0765809919.

Metodi didattici

The course alternates frontal lessons with in-class discussions of readings and audio/video materials (Module 1) and with laboratory sections (in Module 2).

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

The evaluation of the first module is through a written exam, with an optional oral exam as an integration of the written one.

The evaluation of the second module is through a written exam.

No difference is made between attending and non-attending students.

The passing grades for students are in the range of 0-30 with honors (30L) based on the following criteria:

• < 18. Fail. Considerable further work is required for an even basic understanding of the content of the course.
• 18-22. Sufficient. Understanding the course content meets the minimum criteria; some mnemonic retention and barely minimal understanding of the course topics.
• 23-24. Satisfactory. Some understanding of the course topics, with significant shortcomings.
• 25-27. Good. Good understanding of the course topics, with some errors.
• 28-30. Very good. Full understanding of the course content, only minor errors, if any.
• 30 with honors. Perfect understanding of the course content.

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

The course will use slides, readings, datasets, Excel, and SPSS.

All materials used in class will be made available on the course’s web platform.

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Raffaele Corrado

Consulta il sito web di Daniele Scarpi de Claricini