The lectures will address the following topics:
- Needs, goods and value.
- Meaning and interpretation of the concept of business: contractual theory, agency theory, theory of systems.
- The historical evolution of the concept of firm.
- The conditions of the existence and the characters of the firm.
- The function of the firm, its aims and the concept of business management.
- The subjects within the firm.
- The notion of corporate assets, liabilities and book value.
- Qualitative analysis of the corporate net assets.
- The accrual-basis and the cash basis of accounting.
- The different measures of the capital in non-financial entities under the hypotheses of going concern and liquidation.
- The relationships between the different measures of capital in non-financial entities.
- The costs and the break-even analysis.
- The financial aspects of the business management.
- The analysis of the profitability and of the liquidity of the firm using the ratios.
- The notion and the assessment of the global value added.
- The bookkeeping of the fundamental firms’ operations with the double-entry system.

1) G. Catturi, L'azienda universale. L'idea forza, la morfologia e la fisiologia, Cedam, Padova, 2003 (Module A: lessons 1, 2, 5, 6; Module B: lessons 7, 11, 12, 17; Module C: lessons 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 29).

2) E. Cavalieri - R. Franceschi Ferraris, Economia Aziendale, Vol. I, attività aziendale e processi produttivi, Giappichelli, Torino, 2010, 4th Edition (Chapters 3, 4, 5 and 7).

3) Teaching materials available on the course web site (slides and the lecture notes about the bookkeeping with the double-entry system)