ECON 333 - The Economics of Organizations and Employment Relationships

Institution:

Case Western Reserve University

Subject:

Description:

Organizational Economics is the study of effective organizational design and management. It applies the powerful tools of modern economics to such questions as: what are the practices and structures that make for successful firms? Why are successful firms able to excel at some things (think Microsoft and word processors and spreadsheets) but not at other things (think Microsoft and web-based search)? Fundamentally organizations are human enterprises and their performance is driven by the people they employ. For this reason a good deal of organizational economics is concerned with how firms structure relationships with their employees. One of the important benefits students gain from studying organizational economics is a rigorous and logical framework for thinking about their jobs and careers. By applying this framework to many different real world settings, students become adept at translating general insights to their specific concerns. Organizational economics is built upon a hybrid approach to human behavior that draws from economics and social psychology. From economics, we take the idea that individuals can skillfully use the resources and information at their disposal to achieve their goals. From social psychology we take the idea that individual pursuit of their interests is complicated by the emotions, impulses, and cognitive biases built into human brains. The economic emphasis on goals implies that successful organizations must structure incentives and design jobs in ways that are consistent with the interests of employees. The psychological approach implies that successful organizations must also adopt motivational strategies that appeal to both the rational and non-rational drivers of human behavior. Prereq: ECON 102.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.case.edu

Phone Number:

(216) 368-2000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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