Introduction to Business Management

CB1. Nothing to note. This is a first-year “Introduction” course.

ME1. The curricular unit will work with theoretical-practical classes, seeking to combine the expository dimension of the themes with the
necessary practical exemplification, where the teacher and students will present and discuss the resolution of several real-life exemplary
cases. To accelerate the understanding of the subjects and make the exhibitions more attractive, various audiovisual media will be used.
Contact with real cases is also promoted through contact with companies where information is collected and analyzed on the topics taught
and discussed in the classroom.

Objectives:

OA1. It is intended to transmit to students the fundamental concepts of management that allow them to acquire a vision overview of the functioning of companies and the importance of management for success.

OA2. It is also intended to introduce the student to the management functions that the manager deals with – Planning, Organization, Motivation, Leadership and Control.

OA3. It is also intended to introduce the student to some critical business functions of any company – Innovation, Marketing, Operations, Human Resources and Finance.

OA4. Finally, we want to integrate knowledge through strategic thinking.

Competencies to be developed by students:

CD1. Understand the management process and its functions;

CD2. Understand the importance of innovation, operations, marketing and finance for business success;

CD3. Understand the central role of people in organizations;

CD4. Understand the need to develop the strategy that defines the way forward.

P1. Introduction to Management, Managers, and Organizations

1.1 Fundamentals of management

1.2 Globalization and internationalization

1.3 Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Sustainability

P2. Management Theories

P3. Management Functions

3.1 Planning

3.2 Organizing

3.3 Leading (Motivating, Leading, and Communicating)

3.4 Controlling

P4. Organizational Functions

4.1 Innovation

4.2 Marketing

4.3 Human Resource Management

4.4 Other Organizational Functions

P5. Integration: Strategy

Assessment is conducted in one of three alternative ways, at the student's discretion:

• MA1: Mandatory final exam, subject to the school's current terms and conditions;
• MA2: Final exam plus a project, consisting of the completion and the written and oral presentation of a group assignment. In this case, the final course grade is calculated using the following weighting:
  • Final exam: 70% (minimum score of 7 points)
  • Group project: 30% (minimum score of 9.5 points)
• MA3: Two mid-term tests distributed throughout the semester plus a group project. In this case, the final course grade is calculated using the following weighting:
  • Two mid-term tests: 70%, with the weight distributed equally between the two tests (35% + 35%) and a minimum score of 7 points required for each.
  • Group project: 30% (minimum score of 9.5 points)
    

For the project-based options (Option 2), the oral presentation accounts for 30% of the grade, and the written document accounts for 70%. The group project grade applies to both the regular and the resit exam periods.

Notes:

1. In the event of a well-founded suspicion of fraud detected during the exam grading process, the student will be required to take an oral exam to verify the knowledge and skills demonstrated. This verification is conducted by a panel consisting of the course instructor and two other professors from the same field. If the student fails to demonstrate the knowledge and skills shown in the written exam, the exam will be annulled;
2. Any use of AI in assignments must be cited in the bibliography;
3. It should be noted that an oral exam is not part of the standard assessment methods for this course unit; students pass the course by achieving a final grade of 9.5 points or higher.

NAO