Book Description
This volume presents twenty-six essays that showcase the brilliant originality and range of economic thought that earned Hoover Institution senior fellow Gary S. Becker the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 1992. As the first published collection of Becker's papers, this selection offers an overview of the fundamental theries and unorthodox applications that inspired Milton Friedman to call Becker "one of the most creative economists of our generation" and concludes with the text of Becker's Nobel lecture, a personal survey of his work. Becker's significant contributions evolve from an economic approach to analyzing social issues that range beyond those usually considered by economists. By questioning assumptions taken for granted in most economic modeling. Becker sheds new light on previously unconnected and poorly understood social phenomena. He relies on this signular axiom: all actors in the social game are economic persons who maximize their advantages in different cost situations. In these essays, Becker studies persistent racial and sexual discrimination investment in human capital, crime and punishment, marriage and divorce, the family, drug addiction, and other apparently noneconomic dimensions of society. Significantly, Becker's findings not only shift huge problems that other social scientists once considered immovable but also stand up to empirical challenge.
Customer Reviews:
COMPILATION OF BECKER'S BEST WORKS.......2004-08-13
This is a compilation of Becker's most significant articles. Becker is one fo the most brilliant economists in the 20th century, taking the tools of economic analysis to other social sciences, especially sociology.
The articles have varied topics, including:
- Economic analysis of marriage
- Economic analysis of family size
- Economic justification for altruism
- Economic analysis of restaurant pricing patterns
- Economic analysis of discrimination
- Economic analysis of crime
It is a bit academic, since these are the original article he wrote for academic journals, but they are understandable since it is mostly concepts and not too many equations (though there are some). For the absolute beginner, this may be too advanced, so I would recommend The Economics of Life by Becker as well. If you have some knowledge of economics, I believe this would be a great choice. It shows how the rationality acquired in economics is applicable elsewhere, almost everywhere.
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The Essence Of Line: French Drawings From Ingres To Degas
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ASIN: 0271026928 |
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L'essence du jargon
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ASIN: 2070738930 |
Book Description
In this volume, Michael Jensen and his collaborators present the foundations of an integrated theory of organizations. The theory assumes that organizations are equilibrium systems that, like markets, can be influenced, but cannot be told what to do; that human beings are rational and self-interested for the most part; and that information is costly to produce and transfer among agents. The theory also treats business organizations as entities existing in a system of markets (including financial, product, labor, and materials markets) that must be considered in the formulation of organizational strategy.
Jensen argues that the cost of transferring information makes it necessary to decentralize some decision rights in organizations and in the economy. This decentralization in turn requires organizations to solve the control problem that results when self-interested persons do not behave as perfect agents.
Capitalist economies solve these control problems through the institution of alienable decision rights. But because organizations must suppress the alienability of decision rights, they must devise substitute mechanisms that perform its functions. Jensen argues that three critical systems, which he calls the organizational rules of the game, are necessary to substitute for alienability in organizations: (1) a system for allocating decision rights among agents in the firm, (2) a system for measuring and evaluating performance in the firm, and (3) a system for rewarding and punishing individuals for their performance. These concepts offer a major competitive advantage for organizations.
Customer Reviews:
Good Cross-boundary book.......2001-03-21
This is an excellent book that is good for both academics and practicioners. Practicioners may find the indepth theory discussion a bit cumbersome, but it is worth the read to find the gems of wisdom.
The book is an excellent coverage of the basics of organization theory, covering enough economic theory to have it make sense.
An excellent book for graduate students that want to study organizations. Even if you are not an economics student, it will help you understand the language that the economic organizational theorists use.
This collection of articles has only one weakness: its title.......1999-08-01
Between the covers of this dryly titled and presumably tedious tome is a lively collection of a dozen essays spanning over twenty years of original thinking and outstanding scholarship by one of Harvard's foremost professors. Jensen, with a bit of help from colleagues such as Eugene Fama, Kevin Murphy, and the late William H. Meckling, attacks such diverse issues as the nature of man, the theory of the firm, residual claims and organizational form, agency costs, executive compensation, and organizational performance measurement.
In the author's words, "Economists have historically concentrated on the analysis of markets while treating the organizations in them as black boxes that act as profitmaximizing entities, (and)...behavioral organization theorists have largely focused on the internal aspects of organizations, ignoring the forces of markets in which those organizations exist." In this collection, Jensen bridges these two disparate views, utilizing rigorous economic analysis to forge a superior understanding of both the firm and the individuals who are its employees, partners, and owners.
Organizations, at the most basic level, are networks of individuals drawn together to accomplish a task. The most appropriate place to start is with a robust theory of the individual. Economists are typically accused of viewing individuals only as money-maximizing entities ("economic man"). Jensen demolishes this with an integrative model of the individual as resourceful, evaluative, and maximizing, or REMM. Four postulates exist in the REMM model: Every individual cares, each individual's wants are unlimited, each individual is a maximizer, and the individual is resourceful. The REMM model is contrasted against basic economic, sociological, and psychological models. The REMM model, a fusion derived from features of each, dominates each of its sources in explanatory power of behavior.
From this base, Jensen proceeds to explore diverse topics, including specific and general knowledge, and the role that knowledge possessed by individuals plays in organizational development and behavior, alienability of decision rights, residual claims and agency theory. Two of the dozen articles review how residual claims influence organizational structure. For example, Jensen observes that, in the financial industry, insurance companies and savings banks have been organized as "mutual" organizations in which the policyholders or depositors are the residual claimants, whereas commercial banking has nearly always been organized as stock companies. Further, professional services organizations have typically been organized as partnerships. There is no marketbased reason why an insurance company should choose to be a mutual rather than a stock company, or why a professional services firm could not be organized as a stock company with public ownership (as some have done or are considering). The role of the residual claimant, however, plays a powerful role in the organizational structure.
A welcome surprise was a chapter on executive compensation and CEO compensation. In essence, Jensen identifies the problem of CEO compensation as an agency problem, unchanged from the same agency problems identified by Adam Smith. Building on the framework in the earlier sections, he explores how changes in firm wealth impacts, or fails to impact, the wealth of the CEO. Jensen identified that in many situations, particularly in the largest organizations, increases in firm wealth had little impact on CEO wealth and, presumably, on CEO willingness to increase shareholder value.
CEO compensation packages today, with the emphasis on stock options and the commensurate possibility of immense financial rewards, are dramatically different than when Jensen and his colleagues wrote this and the other articles in the section. While no single individual or article can be credited with the sweeping changes in CEO compensation, there has been a surge in both the attention paid to and the subsequent increase in firm value since the publication of this work in CEO compensation. Jensen diagnosed the problem, and the alignment of CEO compensation and shareholder interests seems to be resolved.
This is not a traditional "popular" book on organizations; rather it is a collection of insightful concepts drawn from years of teaching and research. It is a coherent, orderly, economic explanation of how and why firms organize and the challenges inherent in small and large businesses. In Foundations of Organizational Strategy, Jensen opens the "black box" of the organization and provides a coherent and logical framework for understanding how and why organizations develop and operate in the market. His attempt succeeds admirably and will reward the reader with not only concepts and models of theoretical organizational behavior but also keen insight applicable in day-to-day organizational endeavors.
Edward J. "Kip" Smith
Book Description
“
Economic Foundations of Strategy uniquely contributes to the strategic management discipline by discussing and integrating the most important theoretical approaches in strategic management research. The book articulates the essence of these theories creatively and eloquently. Currently, our field lacks a scholarly book that brings together these theoretical building blocks of strategic management research. Mahoney’s book is a superb guide for doctoral students and scholars who are entering the discipline of strategic management. I conjecture that this book will become a must-have guide for seasoned strategy researchers as well... scholars from related disciplines such as industrial organization economics, international business and organization would also want to have a copy of this phenomenal guide… It was a pleasure to read this book.” -- Yasemin Y. Kor,
University of Delaware
Economic Foundations of Strategy provides not only the essential basic tenets of strategy, it also shows the inter-relationships of five major theories of the firm: the behavioral theory; transaction costs theory; property rights theory; agency theory; and dynamic resource-based theory. Even though technological, organizational and institutional change advances breathlessly, the theories of the firm provided in this research book are durable principles that have stood, and the author maintains will continue to stand, the test of time.
Economic Foundations of Strategy emphasizes the complementarities among these five theories of organization, and the potential for integrating these theories in the evolving science of organization. Applications of these theories to business practice are emphasized throughout the book.
Key Features: • Provides an integrative approach -Covers economics (e.g., transaction costs, property rights and agency theory); -Covers finance (e.g., real options theory) -Covers organization theory (e.g., the behavioral theory of the firm); and -Covers modern strategic management theory (e.g., dynamic resource-based theory). • Connects “Know-why” and “Know-how” -Covers the theoretical material deeply enough to be of use to advanced students -Connects this research to business applications to be of use to those interested in business practice
Book Description
On Creativity, Innovation, and Renewal features the best thinking from top experts on strategic innovation, sparking creativity, and transforming organizations. Written in a concise style that is ideal for the busy executive with little spare time, the book presents a stellar roster of contributors. On Creativity, Innovation, and Renewal is one title in the Leader to Leader Guides, which draw from the most compelling articles that have appeared in Leader to Leader, the Drucker Foundation's award-winning journal.
Customer Reviews:
Insights from Wise Minds.......2002-03-30
This small book contains twelve chapters from some of the most respected and talented experts on innovation and renewal. Their chapters are an inspiration to those of us seeking new ways to think and see.
Look at the contributors. They are known for their leadership in science, technology, management, leadership, publishing, and more. Together they provide a tapestry. See the sample chapters at the Drucker Foundation Web site. Buy a copy for your boss and your one for your daughter.
The esteemed authors are:
John Seely Brown; James Champy; Stephen Jay Gould; Gary Hamel and Peter Skarzynski; Frances Hesselbein; Randy Komisar; Dorothy Leonard and Walter Swap; Costas Markides; Nigel Nicholson; Harriet Rubin; Patricia B. Seybold; and Noel Tichy.
Book Description
For much of its history, the academic literature in strategy has focused on the actions and decisions of top managers. The argument of Building Strategy From the Middle is that rapidly developing technologies and competitive dynamics heighten needs for enhanced organizational competencies, which puts a premium on new ideas generated at the operating level and creates a shift in the strategic responsibilities within organizations. Strategic leadership now occurs not only at the top, but at all levels of the organization. This ground-breaking new book reframes the perspective taken in most strategy research in two key ways: by describing organizational renewal from a middle-level perspective and by reconceptualizing the theoretical basis for strategy process research. Part I of the book (Foundations) reviews the existing literature on the strategy process, including recent literature on strategic change renewal. Part II (New Theoretical Horizons) builds the theoretical basis for a middle level perspective, focusing on knowledge development, social network analysis, and organizational trust. Part III (Middle Level Perspective) moves from synthesizing existing research toward the development of a model for conducting research from a middle-level perspective.
Book Description
On High-Performance Organizations features the best thinking from top experts on organizational effectiveness, sustaining growth, and strategy. Written in a concise style that is ideal for the busy executive with little spare time, the book presents a stellar roster of contributors. On High-Performance Organizations is one title in the Leader to Leader Guides, which draw from the most compelling articles that have appeared in Leader to Leader, the Drucker Foundation's award-winning journal.
Customer Reviews:
Ideas Galore.......2002-05-04
...
Put together 18 academic and corporate leaders and ask them to share their thinking and strategies related to organizational effectiveness and, you guessed it''ýý.a wonderful collection of thought provoking insights.
This book is a collection of essays, interviews and study results on effective organizational leadership and strategies. While the book focuses on the for-profit sector, many of the themes are relevant to not-for-profit organizations.
My own background has been both in not for profit and for profit corporations. My reaction to the first few chapters of the book was luke warm. I thought the presentations were too academic and were applicable primarily to very large for profit corporations. Most not for profits do not have the resources, human or financial, to implement many of the worthwhile observations made in those early chapters. However, as I got further into the book, I found myself taking notes and voila'.. I actually was inspired by two of the chapters.
While a listing of the subjects covered (see below) may get a yawn or two, there are some real gems hidden within this book. I was especially pleased to learn more about outcomes management and new business models. Those chapters gave me some concrete ideas, which I was able to use right away, given the nature of my work with non-profits. Other readers will likely find different gems of particular interest to them. That is the beauty of this book. It stimulates creative thinking and new ideas.
The chapters deal with organizational self assessment, responding to changing business conditions, the marketing of leadership, entrepreneurial efficiencies, alternative business structures, strategic generosity, and leadership in the virtual world, to name a few. There is even an interview with Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic strip, which often deals with subjects related to the workplace.
This is an ýideasý book and not a ýhow toý publication. If you are ready to explore a variety of ideas from business leaders and academics, pick up a copy. Who knows, you may also walk away with a few good new ideas, which can be part of your own leadership arsenal.
Don't you want your organization to perform?.......2002-04-03
I am a fan of the Drucker Foundation's LEADER TO LEADER journal. This collection of articles is just right for people looking to make their organization (or department, or team) perform.
My favorites include chapters by Frances Hesselbein, Philip Kotler, the interview of Scott Adams, and the partnership chapter by James E. Austin. I also loved the work of Douglas K. Smith, Leonard L. Berry, and Adrian Slywotzky.
Book Description
On Leading Change features the best thinking from top experts on strategies for change, sustaining growth, and leading transition. Written in a concise style that is ideal for the busy executive with little time to read, the book highlights a stellar panel of contributors including Peter Drucker, Peter Senge, William Bridges, and Rosabeth Moss Kanter. On Leading Change is one title in The Leader to Leader Guides four-volume set that draws from the most compelling articles that have appeared in the Drucker Foundation's award-winning journal Leader to Leader.
Customer Reviews:
Great collection of articles!.......2003-06-30
This book contains a great collection of articles. I enjoyed it from cover to cover. I highly recommend it!
Dr. Michael Beitler
Author of "Strategic Organizational Change"
One of the best collections I've seen.......2002-04-09
All of the books in this series are excellent. They are a collection of the best of the best--there was not one chapter I didn't want to read. This book focuses on change and how to prepare for it and make the most of it. Considering how quickly things change, this book is an important one.
Leaders on Change.......2002-03-30
I'm a fan of the whole Leader to Leader series. This book presents luminaries such as Peter Drucker, Peter Senge, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, William Bridges, Frances Hesselbein, and Jon Katzenbach. They address in short simple chapters the challenges of leading change. Who could provide you with a better supply of insight and inspiration?
I first read the sample chapters on the Drucker Foundation Web site. Now I'm sharing this book with my friends and children.
Customer Reviews:
Very good book on strategy.......2002-10-11
This book gives some very interesting views on strategy and could be read as an alternative to the great gurus like Porter, Ghemawat, Mintzberg, Markides and others. This book has been written by a professor of LBS, and although it is an easy read it also covers aspects of the economics of strategy (e.g. the role of value added), similar to the book "Economics of strategy" by Besanko et al.
What I liked especially is the discussion of the basic sources of competitive advantage: there are only four! Innovation, Architecure (of the company and its external relations), Reputation, and strategic assets.
The rough outline of the book is:
Chapters 1 and 2 discuss the basic structure of strategy and the role of value added. Chapters 2 and 3 cover the relationships between companies (e.g. cooperation and coordination). Chapters 5 to 8 discuss the three sources of competitive advantage (architecture, reputation, innovation), as well as the role of strategic assets. In the chapters 9 to 17 several special issus (e.g. M&A, Pricing, Positioning) are discussed. In chapters 18 and 19, the author draws together the discussion of the preceding chapters and gives advice how to develop a strategy.
Very good is also the discussion of the history of strategy at the end of the book.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Army Doctrine and Training Bulletin, published by Canadian Army Journal on September 22, 2002. The length of the article is 4015 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: The foundations of strategic management of the army: a necessary return to the military roots of organizational strategy (1).
Author: Captain Yan Cimon
Publication:
The Army Doctrine and Training Bulletin (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2002
Publisher: Canadian Army Journal
Volume: 5
Issue: 3
Page: 32
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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