2010-11 academic year

Business Organization and Management II (21852)

Degree/study: Degree in Business Sciences
Year: 2nd
Term: 2nd
Number of ECTS credits: 5 credits
Hours of studi dedication: 110 hours
Teaching language or languages: Catalan
Teaching Staff: David Rodríguez

1. Presentation of the subject

This course aims to focus on topics already introduced in the EOE1 course but that deserve special attention. Particularly we shall concentrate on studying in depth different types of economic organizations.

The theory is taught in class and through assigned readings. Students learn to be familiar with the concepts during class discussion, and by working on individual and group assignments.

Reading, understanding and reflecting on the reading assignment is crucial to successful completion of the course.

2. Competences to be attained

General competences

Specific competencies

Instrumental

1. Capacities of Analysis and Synthesis

2. Basic knowledge of business concepts and organizational life.

3. Ability to plan in advance and organize work.

4. Ability to handle information

Interpersonal

4. Development of critical thinking

5. Development of teamwork skills

Systemic

6. Ability to apply knowledge to practical situations

7. Research abilities

8. Learning abilities

1. Know the role of managers and become able to understand managerial facts.

2. Being able to understand and evaluate organizational arrangements.

3. Understand that the business activity is shaped by the general environment (society, stakeholders) and the industry it belongs to.

4. Know the different forms of internal organization of the business, and their implications on task assignments, and employees' evaluation and compensation.

5. Ability to design, for a given organization, incentive systems that will contribute to align the interests from the different stakeholders involved.

6. Ability to critically assess business strategies with regard of its environment.

7. Know the main ways to internationalize a business.

8. Understand the importance of managing diversity.

3. Contents

1. Corporate finance

How companies raise money
Stock versus equity
How enterpreneurs raise money
Bankruptcies.

Case studies: Jazztel

2. Public companies

Overview
Corporate government issues
Takeovers
MBO

Case studies: Enron, Vivendi, Vueling

3. Family-owned business

Overview
Governance
The succession problem.

Case studies: Torres, Camp

4. Cooperatives

Overview
The origin of cooperatives
Weaknesses/strengths of the cooperative model
Exit strategies

Case studies: Mondragón, Guissona

5. Non-profits

Stakeholders
Taxonomy of non-profit organizations
Fundraising
Accountability
Ethical issues

Case studies: Palau de la Música Catalana

6. Transnational companies

Overview
Typology
Entry strategies

Case studies: Starbucks

7. Diversity in organizations

     • Managing diversity
     • Gender diversity
     • Cultural diversity

Case studies: TBA

4. Assessment

Theory Classes

The evaluation of the theory classes is done through a multiple choice test which accounts 50% of the final grade. There will be no minimum grade to pass the course.

Seminars

Seminar grades (50% of the final grade) will be based on both written assignments that have to be submitted at the beginning of the seminars plus active participation to the seminar discussions.

The resulting grade may finally be adjusted by a factor that ranges from 0 to +5% as a function of active participation in theory lectures.

September exam

The final grade attained in September will also include the grade attained in the seminars. Those students without seminar grade or with a very low grade may request to do a compensatory individual work.

5. Bibliography and teaching resources

The background book is the same as in the OAE I course:

Title: Management: International Version

Authors: Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter

Paperback: 581 pages

Publisher: Pearson Education; 10 edition (19 Mar 2009)

ISBN-10: 1408228130

ISBN-13: 978-1408228135

Title: Administración, 10/e

Authors: Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter

Publisher: Pearson Educacion;

ISBN-10: 6074423884

ISBN-13: 978-6074423884

Additional readings will be posted on Aula Global in due course.

6. Methodology

Theory lectures (19 lectures of 1 hour and 30 minutes each one) will consider the main theoretical issues. These were illustrated by practical examples, and more specifically by using newspaper articles. Class participation is encouraged and short discussions are generally held.

Seminar sessions (6 lectures of 1 hour and 30 minutes each one) are devoted to the discussion of case studies.

This course includes the possibility of "aules obertes", where professionals are invited to deliver a lecture about a topic related with the course. The amount and the scheduling will depend on the speakers' availability and agenda.

7. Planning of activities

Week	Classroom activity	Activity outside classroom
Week # 1	Session # 1: Introduction Session # 2: Corporate finance (I)
Week # 2	Session # 1: Corporate finance (II) Session # 2: Corporate finance (III)	Prepare Seminar #1
Week # 3	Session # 1: Public companies (I) Session # 2: Public companies (II) Seminar #1: Corporate finance
Week # 4	Session # 1: Public companies (III) Session # 2: Family-owned business (I)	Prepare Seminar #2
Week # 5	Session # 1: Family-owned business (II) Session # 2: Cooperatives (I) Seminar #2: Public companies	Prepare Seminar #3
Week # 6	Session # 1: Cooperatives (II) Session # 2: Cooperatives (III) Seminar #3: Family-owned business	Prepare Seminar #4
Week # 7	Session # 1: Non-profits (I) Session # 2: Non-profits (II) Seminar #4: Cooperatives	Prepare Seminar #5
Week # 8	Session # 1: Non-profits (III) Session # 2: Transnational corporations (I) Seminar #5: Non-profits	Prepare Seminar #6
Week # 9	Session # 1: Transnational corporations (II) Session # 2: Diversity Seminar #6: Transnational corporations	Review
Week # 10	Sessions #1: Bank holiday Session #2: Catching up and Review of the material covered during the quarter	Prepare final exam