Corso di studio in Economia Aziendale

The program gives students the conceptual and analytical tools useful to understand the consumption behaviour,  to study the structure of lifestyles, and  to interpret the socio-cultural trends that – in the capitalistic advanced societies  - determine the attractiveness of products and brands. 

Each student completing the program should have:

- a basic knowledge of the sociological approach to the analysis of consumption issues;

- the capability to manage conceptual categories, methods and research tool of the sociology of consumption;

- the ability to recognise the way in which the consumption models are influenced by relational, cognitive, cultural and political factors;

- the sociological language useful to present and explain the consumption trends and dynamics;

- the skills to carry out a critical analysis addressing both empirical and theoretical problems in the field of consumption.

Lectures and case studies.

The learning evaluation is based on a written test, composed of 31 closed-ended questions (multiplechoises, true or false, fil gaps, cloze, match...). Each question is worth one point. The wrong answers do not lead to a minus. The time to complete the assignment is thirty minutes.

The procedures for verifying learning may undergo variations in relation to the evolution of the Covid-19 health emergency.

METHODS OF LEARNING EVALUATION – RECTOR’S DECREE N. 1561

 Starting from the 2020-21 summer session, the exams will be held as an in-class evaluation on all course topics (Rector's Emergency Decree no. 1561 of April 16^th 2021)

The assessment will take place at the SME - School of Management and Economics is organized as a written test, composed of thirty-one closed-ended queries (multiple choices, true or false, filling gaps, cloze, match demands…). Each question is worth one point. The wrong answers do not lead to a minus. Students have thirty minutes to complete the assignment.

Students residing or dwelling off-site, in quarantine, in a highly frail situation or cohabiting with family members in a highly frail situation may apply for remote evaluation (online). In this case the learning evaluation will be exclusively held as an oral interview, on five really specific questions. Students will be questioned according to the schedule defined by the Commission. All course topics will be involved in the assessment.

To access to the remote evaluation, the eligible students must strictly comply with the following procedures.

1. Residence or dwelling outside the Piedmont region or quarantine (both mandatory and fiduciary)

The student must regularly register for the test on Esse3, indicating in the Notes field the need to take the test remotely and the relative motivation ("Residence outside the region" or "dwelling outside the region" or "Quarantine").

At the same time, the student have to provide the declaration duly signed and accompanied by a front / back copy of the identification document. The form can be found on the Moodle page of Soft skills in business page AY 2020-21, Section “Methods of learning evaluation”. The required documentation must be uploaded in the folder “Exam mode - Appeal of dd / mm / yyyy” within the exam registration deadline.

2. Fragility of oneself or of cohabiting family members

The student must regularly register for the test on Esse3, indicating in the Notes field the need to take the test remotely and the relative motivation ("Fragility of oneself" or "dwelling outside the region" or "of cohabiting family members ").

At the same time, the student have to provide the declaration duly signed, a front / back copy of the identification document upload the documentation and the certification of the attending physician or specialist who certifies the presence of this condition without specifying its nature or indicating other sensitive health data. The form to certify the reasons for the request can be found on the Moodle page of Soft skills in business page AY 2020-21, Section “Methods of learning evaluation”. The required documentation must be uploaded in the folder “Exam mode - Appeal of dd / mm / yyyy” within the exam registration deadline.

The condition of high "high fragility" refers to the definition of Category 1, Table 1 or Table 2, of the interim Recommendations on the target groups of the anti Sars-Cov2 / Covid 19 vaccination of the Italian Ministry of Health, published in the Official Journal, Series general, of 23 March 2021, n. 72 (available at the link).

Please note that making false statements or forming false documents constitutes a crime and the Administration reserves the right to verify the veracity and authenticity of what is declared or transmitted.

The course examines the spread of consumerism, consumer activism and citizenship in the European Union.

The educational path is articulated in ten modules, that focus on the following topics:

1)      the consumer’s behaviour;

2)      the shaping of lifestyles;

3)      the social functions of consumption;

4)      the shift from scarcity to overconsumption;

5)      the consumer associations;

6)      the networks of critical consumption;

7)      the consumer protection system;

8)      the cultures of sobriety and sustainability.

9)      the ethical product and the responsible choices;

10)    the antagonistic consumption.

Cugno A. (2014), La governance dei consumi. Presenza e progettualità della società civile nell’area del mercato, Milano, FrancoAngeli.

Some supplementary readings will be suggested at the beginning of the course to ensure that the analysis is updated.

Students who have passed the exam with at least 27 out of 30 points will be able to apply for the graduation report on the topics presented in the program or on related topics. The paper must be structured according to the short essay layout, with a length between 40,000 and 60,000 characters. The evaluation of the text will reward the degree of depth and the critical sense shown in the analysis.