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Free University of Bozen-Bolzano

Entrepreneurship and Leadership

Semester 2 · 30176 · Bachelor in Tourism, Sport and Event Management · 12CP · DE


The bachelor's course "Entrepreneurship & Business Management" (30176) is part of the business administration programme and is divided into two modules:

Course Module 1 (M1) "Strategic Management" covers the following topics: – Concepts and key approaches to business strategies – Development processes for business strategies – Strategies, companies and the competitive environment – Business models, resources, strategic competencies and dynamic capabilities – Limitations and critical aspects of management theories

Course Module 2: "Organisational Behaviour & Leadership" covers the following topics: – Fundamentals of organisational behaviour – Emotions, attitudes, motivation and job satisfaction – Leadership and organisational communication – Organisational structure & organisational culture – Limitations and critical aspects of corporate management theories

Lecturers: Matthias Fuchs

Teaching Hours: 72
Lab Hours: -
Mandatory Attendance: -

Course Topics
The course covers key topics in the field of entrepreneurship and leadership. On the one hand, it deals with common models and concepts for describing and analysing corporate strategies and strategy formation. Furthermore, key instruments for strategic decision-making in companies are presented by showing how value is created through the identification of strategic development opportunities. On the other hand, the most important leadership theories are presented and it is shown how their application influences human behaviour in organisations. The concepts, models and theories presented in the course are critically reflected upon and the limitations and risks of their application are highlighted.

Teaching format
Lectures in the form of face-to-face teaching, exercises based on case studies (individual and in teams), presentations

Educational objectives
ILO (Intended Learning Outcomes) ILO 1 - Knowledge and understanding ILO 1.1. of theories of business management ILO 1.2. of business organisation in different contexts ILO 1.3. of human resource organisation and management ILO 1.4. of the interaction between different management functions ILO 1.5. Corporate strategies and basic business models ILO 1.6. The most important strategic planning tools and their appropriate and context-dependent application ILO 1.7. Leadership theory and methods ILO 2 - Ability to apply knowledge and understanding ILO 2.1. Human resource management in different organisational contexts ILO 2.2. Review of the management of the organisation as individual functions and as a whole ILO 2.3. Human resource development and leadership ILO 2.4. Creation of a compelling soft skills offering for new initiatives ILO 2.5. Identification of potential talent in the market ILO 2.6. Communication in the tourism sector in intercultural working environments ILO 2.7. Basic concepts useful for attending courses in economics, business administration and management ILO 3 - Making judgements ILO 3.1. Reporting analytically and critically on information, empirical values and data in order to make adequate business decisions; ILO 3.2. Selecting the most appropriate quantitative and qualitative analysis tools to support decision-making; ILO 3.3. Finding solutions by using logical conclusions and combining information and analytical tools ILO 4 - Making judgements (Communication skills) ILO 4.1. Achievement of this objective is assessed by means of written examinations, group work, assignments, presentation of case studies and projects, and the final dissertation. ILO 5 - Learning skills ILO 5.1. The ability to find up-to-date information in order to keep pace with changes in the service sector in general and in the field of tourism, sports and event management in particular; ILO 5.2. The ability to analyse, critically evaluate and integrate data, information and experience; ILO 5.3. The ability to develop possible solutions to problems in economic and operational areas relating to those work contexts that represent potential career prospects for graduates.

Additional educational objectives and learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding of - Entrepreneurial decision-making, corporate strategies and business models - Strategic planning tools - Leadership theories and organisational behaviour - Human resource management - Critical management epistemology Application of knowledge and understanding - Ability to analyse strategic challenges in companies - Ability to critically apply strategic management methods in companies - Ability to lead people in organisations - Ability to develop people in organisations Independent judgement - Ability to evaluate the suitability of theories for analysing strategic decisions in companies and to assess their effects - Ability to evaluate the suitability and effectiveness of leadership theories in companies Communication skills - Ability to communicate the key concepts and theories on the topic of "entrepreneurship" covered in the course adequately and convincingly to fellow students - Ability to communicate the key concepts and theories on the topic of "leadership" covered in the course adequately and convincingly to fellow students Learning skills - Ability to autonomously seek connections to academic literature in order to expand the knowledge acquired on the heterogeneous topic of "entrepreneurship and leadership" - Ability to take a critical stance towards key concepts and theories in the field of "entrepreneurship and leadership" by explicitly considering their ethical consequences

Assessment
A) Participating students (for each of the two modules) - Written examination (70%) (ILO 1; ILO 2; ILO 3; ILO 4; ILO 5) Examination duration 90 minutes - Group work and presentations (30%) (ILO 1; ILO 2; ILO 3; ILO 4; ILO 5) B) Non-participating students (for each of the two modules) - Written examination (100%) (ILO 1; ILO 2; ILO 3; ILO 4; ILO 5) Examination duration 120 minutes

Evaluation criteria
- Knowledge and understanding of texts (20%) - Ability to establish connections between texts (5%) - Ability to apply knowledge (20%) - Independent judgement and critical thinking (30%) - Transfer of acquired knowledge to practical contexts (25%)

Required readings

-         Whittington, R.; Regnér, P.; Angwin, D.; Johnson, G. and Scholes, K. (2020). Exploring Strategy. 13th Edition, Pearson.

-         Robbins P. Stephen & Judge A. Timothy (2021). Essentials of Organizational Behavior, 15th Edition, Pearson, New York

-         Ghoshal S (2005) Bad management theories are destroying good management practices. Academy of Management Learning Education 4(1):75–91

-         Minett D, Yaman R & Denizci B (2009). Leadership styles and ethical decision-making in hospitality management, International Journal of Hospitality Management, 28, 486-493

-         Joullié, J-E. (2020) Management theory in crisis. In: Bowden B, McMurray A (eds) Palgrave handbook of management history. Springer, Switzerland AG, Cham.



Supplementary readings

Ergänzende Literatur zur Vertiefung

-         Dierksmeier C, Pirson M (2010) The modern corporation and the idea of freedom. Philosophy & Management 9(3):5–25

-         Fuchs, M. (2023). A Post-Cartesian Economic and Buddhist view on tourism, Annals of Tourism Research, 103, 688, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2023.103688

-         Spillane, R. & Joullié, J-E. (2022). Justifying ethical values: A purposive ethics for managers, Business Ethics, Environment & Responsibility, 31, 1185–1192

-         Spillane, R. & Joullié, J-E. (2022). Overcoming Managerialism – Power, Authority and Rhetoric at Work, De Gruyter Business & Economics, New York.



Further information
Teaching materials such as PowerPoint slides, required reading and further reading can be found in the reserve collection.


Download as pdf

Sustainable Development Goals
This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the following Sustainable Development Goals.

1 4 5 8 9 12

Modules

Semester 1 · 30176A · Bachelor in Tourism, Sport and Event Management · 6CP · DE

Module A — M-1 Strategic Management

The Ba. course “Entrepreneurship & Leadership” (30176) belongs to the scientific area of Business Administration and is sub-divided into two Modules:
Course Module 1 (M1) is titled “Strategic Management” and covers below topics:
- Concepts and major approaches of business strategies
- Formation processes of business strategies
- Strategies, firms and types of competitive environment
- Business models, resources, strategic competencies and dynamic capabilities
- Limitations and critical issues of management theories

Lecturers: Matthias Fuchs

Teaching Hours: 36
Lab Hours: -

Course Topics
The course module 1 “strategic management” introduces students to the analysis of the strategic behaviour of firms. This matter is approached according to a process perspective, with particular emphasis on decision-making processes that shape firm strategy. The course module analyses the strategy both as an outcome and as managerial process. Throughout the course, theories of strategic management are critically reflected, and their limits delineated.

Teaching format
Lectures in the form of classroom teaching, exercises on case studies (individual and in teams), presentations

Required readings

-         Whittington, R.; Regnér, P.; Angwin, D.; Johnson, G. and Scholes, K. (2020). Exploring Strategy. 13th Edition, Pearson.

-         Collins, J. C. & Porras, J. I. (1996): Building your company’s vision. Harvard Business Review, Sep-Oct.

-         Snowden, D.J. and Boone, M.E., 2007. A leader's

-framework for decision making. Harvard business review, 85(11), p.68: https://pablopernot.fr/pdf/Cynefin-MaryBoone.pdf

-         Ghoshal S (2005) Bad management theories are destroying good management practices. Academy of Management Learning Education 4(1):75–91

Joullié, J-E. (2020) Management theory in crisis. In: Bowden B, McMurray A (eds) Palgrave handbook of management history. Springer, Switzerland AG, Cham



Supplementary readings

Additional literature for further study

-         Dierksmeier C, Pirson M (2010) The modern corporation and the idea of freedom. Philosophy & Management 9(3):5–25

-         Minett D, Yaman R & Denizci B (2009). Leadership styles and ethical decision-making in hospitality management, International Journal of Hospitality Management, 28, 486-493

Spillane, R. & Joullié, J-E. (2022). Overcoming Managerialism – Power, Authority and Rhetoric at Work, De Gruyter Business & Economics, New York.



Semester 2 · 30176B · Bachelor in Tourism, Sport and Event Management · 6CP · DE

Module B — M-2 Organizational Behaviour and Leadership

Course Module 2 (M2) is titled “Organisation Behaviour & Leadership” and covers below topics:
- Basics of organisational behaviour
- Emotions, attitudes, motivation and job satisfaction
- Leadership and organizational communication
- Organisational structure & organisational culture
- Limitations and critical issues of leadership theories

Lecturers: Matthias Fuchs

Teaching Hours: 36
Lab Hours: -

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