ID:
CODIM24
Duration (hours):
72
CFU:
9
SSD:
Sociologia dei processi culturali e comunicativi
Located in:
PESCARA
Url:
MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS/CORSO GENERICO Year: 1
Year:
2026
Course Catalogue:
Overview
Date/time interval
Primo Semestre (21/09/2026 - 31/01/2027)
Syllabus
Course Objectives
Learning objectives
The course in Corporate Communication pursues objectives of three kinds: theoretical-general, specialised, and practical-applied.
At the theoretical-general level, the distinctive contents of the sociology of cultural and communicative processes are framed within the broader analysis of the transformations of the life-world and of social systems, in their emerging technological, economic, sociological and cultural dimensions. The course starts from the premise that corporate communication is not a repertoire of neutral techniques, but a social practice that is redefined as the contexts in which it operates change.
At the specialised level, the course provides the categories, models and vocabulary through which the discipline analyses the internal and external communication of organisations. Current changes are redefining corporate strategies and are altering both the degree of participation and the ways in which staff, in their various roles, are informed, consulted and actively involved in company processes, and the forms of relationship between the company and its external publics: business partners, market competitors, public institutions, customers, and old and new media.
At the practical-applied level, the course puts these tools to work through the analysis of case studies and direct engagement with communication professionals, so that students can identify the objectives, audiences, professional roles and ethical constraints of a communication strategy, and assess its coherence.
Expected learning outcomes
On completion of the course, with reference to the Dublin descriptors, students will have achieved the following outcomes.
Knowledge and understanding. Students will know the range of activities through which companies manage internal and external communication within the broader management of business processes, and the purposes these activities serve: not only economic results, but also the awareness, reputation and aesthetic and moral values associated with the organisation and the brand. They will be able to distinguish the theoretical models, methods, techniques and tools of the discipline — the 'cold' and 'hot' tools of internal communication, brand communication, advertising, events and sponsorship, be-low-the-line communication, public relations — and to understand the changes brought about by unconventional marketing, platform digitalisation and artificial intelligence.
Applying knowledge and understanding. Students will be able to analyse a case of corporate communication, identifying its objectives (commercial, institutional, social), its audiences, the tools employed and the professional roles involved; to recognise, in a given business situation, which tools are consistent with the stated objective and target public; and to situate a communication initiative within the ethical framework set by the relevant professional associations and codes of conduct.
Making judgements. Students will be able to demonstrate an appropriate critical un-derstanding of the paradigms, methods and techniques of corporate communication, recognising their implicit assumptions, scope of validity and limitations; to assess the coherence and effectiveness of a communication strategy against its declared objec-tives; and to distinguish the promotional language through which the sector describes its own practices from the sociological analysis of their effects on organisations and publics.
Communication skills. Students will be able to present the contents of the discipline with terminological precision, including a command of the English vocabulary currently used in the field, and to set out the reasons for a given communication choice clearly and concisely, adapting their register to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Learning skills. Students will be able to update their knowledge independently in a field subject to rapid obsolescence, making informed use of academic literature, professional sources and industry reporting, and will possess the conceptual foundations needed to continue their studies at Master's level in marketing, communication and human resource management.
These outcomes are pursued through lectures, case-study analysis and contributions from professionals with managerial, human resources and marketing expertise, and contribute to training a professional profile able both to understand and to practise corporate communicatio.
The course in Corporate Communication pursues objectives of three kinds: theoretical-general, specialised, and practical-applied.
At the theoretical-general level, the distinctive contents of the sociology of cultural and communicative processes are framed within the broader analysis of the transformations of the life-world and of social systems, in their emerging technological, economic, sociological and cultural dimensions. The course starts from the premise that corporate communication is not a repertoire of neutral techniques, but a social practice that is redefined as the contexts in which it operates change.
At the specialised level, the course provides the categories, models and vocabulary through which the discipline analyses the internal and external communication of organisations. Current changes are redefining corporate strategies and are altering both the degree of participation and the ways in which staff, in their various roles, are informed, consulted and actively involved in company processes, and the forms of relationship between the company and its external publics: business partners, market competitors, public institutions, customers, and old and new media.
At the practical-applied level, the course puts these tools to work through the analysis of case studies and direct engagement with communication professionals, so that students can identify the objectives, audiences, professional roles and ethical constraints of a communication strategy, and assess its coherence.
Expected learning outcomes
On completion of the course, with reference to the Dublin descriptors, students will have achieved the following outcomes.
Knowledge and understanding. Students will know the range of activities through which companies manage internal and external communication within the broader management of business processes, and the purposes these activities serve: not only economic results, but also the awareness, reputation and aesthetic and moral values associated with the organisation and the brand. They will be able to distinguish the theoretical models, methods, techniques and tools of the discipline — the 'cold' and 'hot' tools of internal communication, brand communication, advertising, events and sponsorship, be-low-the-line communication, public relations — and to understand the changes brought about by unconventional marketing, platform digitalisation and artificial intelligence.
Applying knowledge and understanding. Students will be able to analyse a case of corporate communication, identifying its objectives (commercial, institutional, social), its audiences, the tools employed and the professional roles involved; to recognise, in a given business situation, which tools are consistent with the stated objective and target public; and to situate a communication initiative within the ethical framework set by the relevant professional associations and codes of conduct.
Making judgements. Students will be able to demonstrate an appropriate critical un-derstanding of the paradigms, methods and techniques of corporate communication, recognising their implicit assumptions, scope of validity and limitations; to assess the coherence and effectiveness of a communication strategy against its declared objec-tives; and to distinguish the promotional language through which the sector describes its own practices from the sociological analysis of their effects on organisations and publics.
Communication skills. Students will be able to present the contents of the discipline with terminological precision, including a command of the English vocabulary currently used in the field, and to set out the reasons for a given communication choice clearly and concisely, adapting their register to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Learning skills. Students will be able to update their knowledge independently in a field subject to rapid obsolescence, making informed use of academic literature, professional sources and industry reporting, and will possess the conceptual foundations needed to continue their studies at Master's level in marketing, communication and human resource management.
These outcomes are pursued through lectures, case-study analysis and contributions from professionals with managerial, human resources and marketing expertise, and contribute to training a professional profile able both to understand and to practise corporate communicatio.
Course Prerequisites
The course is scheduled in the first semester of the first year and requires no specific prior knowledge, nor the completion of any other examination.
Teaching Methods
The course comprises 72 hours of classroom teaching, organised into twenty-four three-hour sessions held three times a week from 14:00 to 17:00 [days]. Sessions are grouped into six thematic modules, each moving from theoretical framing to application.
Three teaching methods are used, in varying proportions across modules. Lectures in-troduce theoretical models, disciplinary vocabulary and the tools of internal and exter-nal communication. Case-study analysis, which occupies roughly one third of the ses-sions, applies these categories to communication strategies actually adopted by compa-nies and organisations: cases are discussed in class following the same analytical framework — objectives, audiences, tools, professional roles, ethical constraints — re-quired in the examination, and are presented with the collaboration of researchers and teaching assistants. Contributions from professionals directly engaged in corporate communication, in managerial, human resources and marketing roles, bring students in-to contact with current industry practices and vocabulary, and are followed by open dis-cussion.
All teaching materials — course notes, slides and documentation of the cases discussed — are made available on the University's E-learning platform as the course proceeds and remain accessible throughout the academic year.
Attendance is not compulsory but is strongly recommended, since case analysis and dis-cussion with professionals take place in class and cannot be fully reconstructed from the materials alone. Students unable to attend have access to the same materials on the plat-form and are encouraged to make use of office hours; the syllabus and examination ar-rangements are identical for attending and non-attending students.
Students with disabilities or specific learning difficulties are invited to contact the lec-turer and the relevant University service in order to agree on the compensatory tools and exemptions provided for by current legislation.
Three teaching methods are used, in varying proportions across modules. Lectures in-troduce theoretical models, disciplinary vocabulary and the tools of internal and exter-nal communication. Case-study analysis, which occupies roughly one third of the ses-sions, applies these categories to communication strategies actually adopted by compa-nies and organisations: cases are discussed in class following the same analytical framework — objectives, audiences, tools, professional roles, ethical constraints — re-quired in the examination, and are presented with the collaboration of researchers and teaching assistants. Contributions from professionals directly engaged in corporate communication, in managerial, human resources and marketing roles, bring students in-to contact with current industry practices and vocabulary, and are followed by open dis-cussion.
All teaching materials — course notes, slides and documentation of the cases discussed — are made available on the University's E-learning platform as the course proceeds and remain accessible throughout the academic year.
Attendance is not compulsory but is strongly recommended, since case analysis and dis-cussion with professionals take place in class and cannot be fully reconstructed from the materials alone. Students unable to attend have access to the same materials on the plat-form and are encouraged to make use of office hours; the syllabus and examination ar-rangements are identical for attending and non-attending students.
Students with disabilities or specific learning difficulties are invited to contact the lec-turer and the relevant University service in order to agree on the compensatory tools and exemptions provided for by current legislation.
Assessment Methods
In line with the expected learning outcomes (Dublin descriptors), assessment consists of a compulsory written test and an optional oral examination.
Written test. The examination is computer-based and consists of 50 closed multiple-choice questions to be completed in 60 minutes, with no access to texts or notes. Ques-tions are of three kinds: (i) definitional, assessing knowledge of concepts and catego-ries; (ii) comprehension-based, requiring students to distinguish, classify or relate mod-els and tools; (iii) applied, presenting a brief business situation and asking students to identify the relevant tool, communication objective or target public. Applied questions make up at least one third of the test.
Marking. Each correct answer is worth 0.6 points; no penalty is applied for incorrect or omitted answers. The maximum score is 30/30. The test is passed with a minimum of 18/30, corresponding to 30 correct answers.
Optional oral examination. Students who have passed the written test may, within the same examination session, take an optional oral examination consisting of the discus-sion of one of the case studies examined in class or documented in the course materials. The oral assesses the ability to apply models to concrete situations, independence of judgement and command of disciplinary language, and may raise or lower the written mark by up to three points. Distinction (lode) is awarded to students achieving full marks in the written test, or on the examiner's proposal following the oral.
Correspondence with learning outcomes. Definitional and comprehension questions assess knowledge and understanding; applied questions and the case-study discussion assess the ability to apply knowledge and understanding; the oral additionally assesses making judgements and communication skills.
Examination arrangements, materials and syllabus are identical for attending and non-attending students.
Written test. The examination is computer-based and consists of 50 closed multiple-choice questions to be completed in 60 minutes, with no access to texts or notes. Ques-tions are of three kinds: (i) definitional, assessing knowledge of concepts and catego-ries; (ii) comprehension-based, requiring students to distinguish, classify or relate mod-els and tools; (iii) applied, presenting a brief business situation and asking students to identify the relevant tool, communication objective or target public. Applied questions make up at least one third of the test.
Marking. Each correct answer is worth 0.6 points; no penalty is applied for incorrect or omitted answers. The maximum score is 30/30. The test is passed with a minimum of 18/30, corresponding to 30 correct answers.
Optional oral examination. Students who have passed the written test may, within the same examination session, take an optional oral examination consisting of the discus-sion of one of the case studies examined in class or documented in the course materials. The oral assesses the ability to apply models to concrete situations, independence of judgement and command of disciplinary language, and may raise or lower the written mark by up to three points. Distinction (lode) is awarded to students achieving full marks in the written test, or on the examiner's proposal following the oral.
Correspondence with learning outcomes. Definitional and comprehension questions assess knowledge and understanding; applied questions and the case-study discussion assess the ability to apply knowledge and understanding; the oral additionally assesses making judgements and communication skills.
Examination arrangements, materials and syllabus are identical for attending and non-attending students.
Texts
The exam should be prepared using the lecture notes and slides provided by the lecturer and availa-ble on the e-learning platform.
Recommended reading: See the books and essays listed in the slides and uploaded to the e-learning platform.
Recommended reading: See the books and essays listed in the slides and uploaded to the e-learning platform.
Contents
The introductory session situates corporate communication within the broader frame-work of organisational communication, at the two poles of human resource management and marketing. The course is then organised into six modules.
The first module, devoted to internal communication, presents the 'cold' and 'hot' tools available to companies for informing, consulting and involving their staff, with an indepth treatment of psycho-sociological intervention as a communicative medium.
The second module addresses external communication in the forms of conventional marketing: the marketing mix and brand communication, advertising, events and sponsorship, below-the-line communication, public relations and place marketing.
The tools of both areas are examined as instruments planned, managed and evaluated in relation to specific objectives — awareness and appreciation at the commercial, institutional and social levels — and to equally specific audiences: employees, collaborators, customers, consumers, publics, institutions and the media. For each area, the course also considers the professional roles involved, the relevant professional associations and their codes of conduct.
The third module examines corporate museums as an emerging case of communication that is at once internal and external, in which corporate memory functions both as a resource for identity and as a device for relating to publics.
The fourth module deals with so-called 'unconventional marketing': the ten principles that define it and the strategies and applied tools that follow from them — Market Envi-ronment, Client Relationship, Competences of the Customer, Subjective Experiences, Market Niche and Guerrilla Marketing.
The fifth module addresses digitalisation and networked interconnection, condensed in the expression 'cyberspace': media infrastructures and agency, the shift from the network society to the platform society, the general bearing of these processes on the reproduction of social systems, and their implications for business — from Economy 4.0 to tech-sociability tools, e-business, social media marketing and web marketing.
The sixth and final module addresses artificial intelligence, particularly in its marketing applications, and the relationship between corporate communication, innovation ecosystems and creative processes.
Throughout, the course is accompanied by case-study analysis and by contributions from corporate communication professionals.
The first module, devoted to internal communication, presents the 'cold' and 'hot' tools available to companies for informing, consulting and involving their staff, with an indepth treatment of psycho-sociological intervention as a communicative medium.
The second module addresses external communication in the forms of conventional marketing: the marketing mix and brand communication, advertising, events and sponsorship, below-the-line communication, public relations and place marketing.
The tools of both areas are examined as instruments planned, managed and evaluated in relation to specific objectives — awareness and appreciation at the commercial, institutional and social levels — and to equally specific audiences: employees, collaborators, customers, consumers, publics, institutions and the media. For each area, the course also considers the professional roles involved, the relevant professional associations and their codes of conduct.
The third module examines corporate museums as an emerging case of communication that is at once internal and external, in which corporate memory functions both as a resource for identity and as a device for relating to publics.
The fourth module deals with so-called 'unconventional marketing': the ten principles that define it and the strategies and applied tools that follow from them — Market Envi-ronment, Client Relationship, Competences of the Customer, Subjective Experiences, Market Niche and Guerrilla Marketing.
The fifth module addresses digitalisation and networked interconnection, condensed in the expression 'cyberspace': media infrastructures and agency, the shift from the network society to the platform society, the general bearing of these processes on the reproduction of social systems, and their implications for business — from Economy 4.0 to tech-sociability tools, e-business, social media marketing and web marketing.
The sixth and final module addresses artificial intelligence, particularly in its marketing applications, and the relationship between corporate communication, innovation ecosystems and creative processes.
Throughout, the course is accompanied by case-study analysis and by contributions from corporate communication professionals.
Course Language
Italian
More information
The student consultation hours for queries and/or further information are held on Wednesdays, from 5.00 pm to 8.00 pm, in Office 22, first floor, Department of Business Administration, Viale Pindaro 42, Pescara. Appointments can be made by email: lu-ca.corchia@unich.it. ERASMUS students are invited to contact the teacher for their program.
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MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS
Bachelor’s Degree
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