UNIVERSITÀ DI CAGLIARI DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE ECONOMICHE E AZIENDALI Business Communication and Selected Topics in Marketing A.Y. 2014-2015 Course hours Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 10.00-12.00 Location Paolo Baffi building - Room 13 Instructor Prof. Ernestina Giudici Office Paolo Baffi building 2nd floor room 7 Office hours Tuesday 12.00-13.30 or by appointment Telephone 070 675 3362 email giudici@unica.it Texts E. Giudici: Lecture notes Papers from scientific international journals: Titles will be communicated during the course development. Communications The best way to get in touch with me is by email. I look at my email in the early morning and therefore you should make sure to allow the necessary amount of time for me to respond (i.e., if you send me an email in the afternoon I will see it the following morning). I get a lot of emails: please start your subject line with ETCM15 that I can easily spot class-related s. Course Objectives and Description The goal of this class is to help students to develop knowledge both on the basic theories, and the essential skills to apply them inside organizations. Specific attention will be devoted to specifying the multidisciplinary characteristics of. Moreover, taking the most important topics in marketing into consideration, the course aims to give students the essential knowledge regarding the relationships between firms and customers with particular attention being paid to the role that plays. At operational level, students taking the learned theories into account are invited to experiment through the elaboration of a plan or storytelling. This activity is worked in teams with the aim of creating relational skills. This is an advanced class and you will expected to have a working knowledge of business management; you will also be expected to express your ideas in writing clearly and concisely. If you find that you are having trouble with the writing, please come to see me in my office as soon as possible.
By completion of this class you will develop an understanding of the main issues involved in the design and management of business in the turbulent environment that characterize modern business activities. Namely, you should be able to: a) Have familiarity with the multifaceted process b) Develop the ability to work in a team with comprehension of its specific dynamics and activity to lead it successful c) Acquire a set of tools and framework that represent state-of-the-art, scientifically-based management thinking d) Enhance both oral and written through continuous in class discussions and written reports Students will vary in their competency levels on these abilities. You can expect to acquire this abilities only if you honor all course policies, attend classes regularly, complete all assigned work in good faith and on time, and meet all other course expectations of you as student. Course Format The course consists of three lectures per week, each of two hours, with possible reading assignment. In the case of reading assignment, given the limited time at our disposal it is extremely important that you come prepared to class, having read the assigned material. Rather than spending excessive class time on lecturing, I will assume that you learned what you could from the readings and I will spend class time on discussions and activities aimed at clarifying and deepening you understanding on the issues. Remember that I often cold call and always expect you to be an active contributor to the discussions. Participation will be evaluated on quantity and quality of the contributions: do not always stay quiet but also avoid intervening with comments that do not significantly add to the discussion. Evaluation Elements Students will be evaluated according to the following schedule: Title Unit Type Evaluation % Description Assignment Individual Hand-in Assignment From 0 to 0,5 point for each assignment Test Individual In-Class Exam From 18/30 to 30/30 Project Proposal Project Presentation Group Hand-in Assignment From 18/30 to 30/30 10 Distributed in class 30 Exactly what it sounds like 10 Details will be discussed in class Group In-Class Presentation 20 Details will be discussed in class Project Report Group Hand-in Assignment 30 Send via email by the end of the day Participation Individual Participation N/A Showing up is the first step. Participating in class discussions and activities goes a long way.
Requirements for Graded Work Assignments: There will be some (from 3 to five) take-home assignments during the course. The purpose of the assignments is to give you the opportunity to practice the techniques learned in class and by reading the suggested articles. You can use any material you like and you can consult with me or with your classmates on the assignment, but the final product should be entirely your individual work. Tests: The course could include one or two in-class tests. The tests will address the material covered since the last test; however, the material covered in this class is inherently cumulative and the knowledge acquired in the previous parts of the class will be necessary in order to understand the subsequent material. Team Project: This project has to be completed with your group. The team project s goal is to allow you to integrate the different techniques and subjects covered in class into a coherent analysis. You will have to collect and analyze data on a problem of your choosing and present your conclusions in written as well as oral presentation form. The project will result in three deliverables: 1. Project Proposal: The groups will prepare a short summary that delineates the general characteristics of the project. The proposal has to delineate the problem under consideration. 2. Project Report: The report has to provide a through description of the elements of your project in a clear and professional way. It has to include the following sections: a. Executive Summary: a few pages that summarize the research question and the findings. b. Introduction: description of the research question or problem, and why is it important. c. Method: - Description of the data source - Description of the method used for the analysis - Description of results d. Findings and Conclusions: what does it all mean? What conclusions can you draw? I strongly suggest that you turn in a preliminary version of the report (or discuss with me each part) before finalizing your submission. 3. Project Presentation: The final presentation will delineate the contents of your project to the class. You will have 15 minutes to present your work plus 5 minutes to answer questions coming from me and from your classmates. Group Work: The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively. When a group-based assignment forms part of your evaluation for a grade, all members of the group will receive roughly the same grade. The grade will be adjusted for the relative contribution of each group member: at the end of the class, you will be asked to provide feedback on group members. Attendance: Attendance is not mandatory for this course. Anyway, attending class is an important part of the learning process in this course. Attendance exposes you to material not in the readings, to your classmates insights and helps clarify material that can lead to better performance in the course. Given the fast pace of the class, missing a session can result in a substantial loss of information. If you miss one or more classes it is your responsibility to ask your classmates for class notes and to keep up with the material covered.
Grading scale Grade Point Value 30/30 e lode 30/30 Description Exceptional Work Achievement of Assignment Objectives Technically flawless and original work demonstrating insight, understanding and independent application or extension of course expectations, often publishable. 28/30 29/30 Outstanding Work Demonstrates a very high level of integration of material demonstrating insight, understanding and independent application or extension of course expectations. 27/30 26/30 Excellent Work Represent a high level of integration, comprehensiveness and complexity, as well as mastery of relevant techniques/concepts. 25/30 24/30 Very Good Work Represents a satisfactory level of integration, comprehensiveness, and complexity; demonstrates a sound level of analysis with no major weaknesses. 23/30 22/30 Acceptable work that fulfills the expectations of the course 21/30 18/30 Not satisfactory work revealing some deficiencies in knowledge, understanding or techniques Represents a satisfactory level of integration of key concepts. However, comprehensiveness or technical skills may be lacking. Represents an unacceptable level of integration, comprehensiveness and complexity. Mastery of some relevant concepts lacking. 0-17/30 Failing grade Unsatisfactory performance. Academic Integrity As our program help to create business and government leaders, the University of Cagliari has an obligation to ensure academic integrity is of the highest standards. Students are expected to carefully review the following point discussing academic integrity and group projects that have been adopted by our University. Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following: using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and without referencing the source of these words; duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source; paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other ideas of another person, whether written or verbal (e.g. personal, ides from a verbal presentation) without referencing the source; copying the answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment; providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment; impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the purpose of submitting academic work or writing any test or examination; stealing or mutilating library materials; change name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and returned; submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without discussions with the instructor(s) involved;
students should be aware that all instructors reserve the right to use any plagiarism detection software program(s) to detect plagiarism for essays, term papers and other assignments. Schedule Title Individual Due Description or Group Date Introduction Individual 2 March What is? Communication as an essential factor of organizations Individual 4 March Communication: factor of organizations success? Theory or theories Individual 5 March Rhetoric and semiotic Take-home assignment 1a Individual 11 March Take-home assignment 1a Theory or theories Individual 9 March Other theories Take-home assignment 1b Individual 11 March Take-home assignment 1b Watzalawick axioms Individual 12 March The revolution: the five Watzalawick s axioms Verbal Individual 16 March Not only language Non verbal Individual 18 March The multifaceted character of non verbal Public speaking Individual 19 March Basic rules of public speaking Communication and Individual 23 March What is identity? strategy: identity Communication and Individual 25 March Identification and over identification strategy: identification Take-home assignment 2 Individual 26 March Take-home assignment 2 Firm Individual 30 March Why firms have to communicate? Internal Individual 1 April The strength of a good internal Techniques and tools useful for internal and external Individual 8 April Analysis of the main techniques and tools Communication plan Individual 9 April How to build a plan Communication plan Individual 13 April How to build a plan Storytelling Individual 15 April An old/new way to communicate Storytelling Individual 16 April An old/new way to communicate Investing in interacting and Individual 20 April Client is the king relating with clients The experiential marketing Individual 22 April New perspectives of marketing: managing experiences Experiential marketing and sustainability Individual 23 April Is sustainability the way to create experiences or vice versa? Take-home assignment 3 Individual 27 April Take-home assignment 3 Customer satisfaction to analyze, measure and manage with reference to some economic fields Individual 29 April and 30 April How to detect customer satisfaction Social networks and Final Group 18 May Presentation Individual 4 May New frontier of : the use of social networks
The Instructor Ernestina Giudici is full professor of Management. She began her career in 1976 and has carried out several activities and responsibilities. The main are: - Member of the University of Cagliari Board of Directors (from July 2012 to present) - Member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences (Emerald); of the Editorial Review Board of the Transnational Marketing Journal and some others. - Dean of the Faculty of Economics (from the A.Y. 2010-2011 to July 2012) - Coordinator of the Doctoral course in Business Administration (from the A.Y. 2009/2010 to July 2012) - President of the degree course in Business Economics (from the A.Y. 2008/2009 to the A.Y 2009/2010) - Head of the Ce.Ma.Pros. (Centre for technological Innovation) (2008-2010) - Head of Jean Monnet Module (from A.Y 2004/2005 to the A.Y 2009/2010) - President of the degree course in Management of tourism services (from the A.Y. 1998/1999 to the A.Y 2002/2003) - Coordinator of the Master in Management of Tourism Organizations (A.Y. 2002/2003 and A.Y. 2014-2015 Coordinator of the Master in Management of Sustainable Tourism Organizations) Other experiences: - Member of the Italian Academy of Business; Member of the European Community Studies Association (ECSA); Member of the European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS); Member and reviewer of the Academy of Management (AOM), Member of CUEIM and reviewer of Sinergie. Recent works published by leading houses include It is possible to achieve sustainable capitalism by 2020? (2014); What should the role of managers be in organization? (2014); Is intangible cultural heritage able to promote sustainability in tourism? Ernestina has taught several courses in the fields of business. She currently teaches basic management, business and direction of firm and innovation. From nineties and for several decades she has worked in several professional assignments. For example: Preparation of the Local Development Plan - Area Linas Campidano for the Program Leader II, Leader Plus and Leader of 2009 edition; CEO of several firms from 1987 to 2003; Coordinator of several projects (e.g. the europass project for the municipality of Cagliari).