The course provides an introduction to the issues and pitfalls arising in most organizations, i.e., we study the “organizational side of working life”. As this is an “issue” based course, topics selected are those particularly relevant for marketing students. At the end of the course students should be able critically assess and become informed decision makers in a wide variety of issues affecting all organizations.

Knowledge & understanding The course offers essential conceptual tools for the understanding and analysis of organizations. It helps students to develop awareness and understanding of organizational life, especially in a marketing/sales environment. The course provides knowledge on strengths and weaknesses of different organizational structures. This course provides advanced knowledge and analytical resources that will enable students to understand the processes inside organizations relevant for the marketing function. Applying knowledge & understanding Upon completion of this course, students should be able: - to assess various organizational designs and structures enabling them to choose an appropriate setup for the marketing function. - to analyze coordination issues and identify mechanisms to address them - to make appropriate suggestions for solving organizational problems - to understand and apply people management practices in marketing/sales environments Making Judgments Critical analysis is a key part of the course and students will be continuously asked to explain and justify their suggestions and decisions. The course is built on the principles of evidence-based decision making. Its principles enable students to make informed decisions. Solutions to organizational dilemmas and cases need to be developed on the basis of evidence-driven decision making. Communication skills This course will give the students the possibility to understand, acquire and express complex organizational concepts and mechanisms. In various class activities, students will have to communicate their ideas, proposals, analysis and critical reasoning using technical terminology relating to organizational problems in a precise and effective way. Learning skills This course facilitates the development of learning skills through the critical discussion of cases and various experiential learning activities, facilitated by technology. Collaborative online learning tools will also be used.

Organizations are complex entities developing their strategies in a VUCA world (VUCA = Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous). Understanding their inner workings takes more than memorizing ready-made recipes. Using insights from a variety of theoretical approaches, the course intends to equip students with the ability to develop inferences about organizational issues relevant for the management of marketing divisions and sales forces. The course will expose students to different research traditions and real-world cases reflecting analytic and pragmatic approaches to solving business problems.

Attending students: As this is an “Issues in..”- course we cover a wide variety of topics that is usually not available in a single textbook. Hence, all required readings will be made available through the learning platform (learn.luiss.it). Non attending students: Pilati, M., Tosi, H. L. (2011). Managing Organizational Behavior: Individuals, Teams, Organization and Management. Regno Unito: Edward Elgar. Mandatory readings used during the course, listed later in the syllabus on a week-by-week basis.

During the course, the following teaching methods will be applied: • lectures • working groups and case studies • presentations and assignments On campus activities integrate the online lectures with the analysis of business cases and discussions, exercises and reflection on relevant papers. Students will be required to join practical training sessions and analyze or discuss, individually or within small groups, case studies/readings focused on the resolution of organizational problems that can be adopted in different strategic and environmental contexts. These sessions are useful to evaluate student's ability to put into practice the organizational issues acquired during the lectures.

Attending Students: The final grade will be based on a final written exam + in-class quizzes + Group Project work. Written examination: 30% of the grade. In-class quizzes: 10% + 10% + 10% of the grade. Group Project Work: 40% of the grade. Instructions for the final written exam (attending): A mix of multiple-choice/true-or-false questions and Open questions. True/false questions also require a short open response indicating the main concept or a practical example or explanation of the selected choice. The points for each question are explicitly reported. Nobody, including the instructor, can answer any question during the exam session. Instruction for in-class exercises/assignment (attending): 3 Learning quiz with a mix of multiple-choice/true-or-false questions. Instruction for group project work (attending): Division into small working groups and choice of an organization to analyze throughout the weeks of the course (what organizational structure, analysis of cultural elements, analysis of change management programs and strategy, analysis of the employer branding strategy, etc.). Each subgroup will be asked to create a portfolio (PowerPoint) containing a collection of all the analyses carried out on the business case. The project work will be presented orally during the two last weeks of the course by each subgroup and evaluated based on criteria such as accuracy of content, bibliographical sources used, effectiveness of oral presentation. Non attending students: The final grade will be based on a final written exam (100%) Multiple choice questions True-or-false questions, requiring a short open response indicating the main concept or a practical example or explanation of the selected choice (max 3 lines). Open questions requiring the explanation of a concept, theory, definition, or example (max 10 lines).

Master thesis assignment is based on a project proposal elaborated and presented by the student. The project (2/3 pages) must include: • Table of contents • Abstract • Main references For experimental thesis it is advised to present the project a minimum of 6 months before the planned graduation session.

YES