Based on their work in the application of principal-agent theory to questions of regulation, Laffont and Tirole develop a synthetic approach to this field, focusing on the regulation of natural monopolies such as military contractors, utility companies and transportation authorities.
Uncertainty affects us in our everyday lives, and in a wide range of situations but how do individuals and indeed organisations respond to uncertainty and how does it impact their decision-making and actions? Based on the latest developments in academic research, the author offers solid advice on how to manage uncertainty in every-day life, bringing a new perspective to these issues and extrapolating this to offer implications for an organisational and managerial context. The author brings this emerging area of research to a wider audience by: Tying together insights from various fields including psychology, engineering, business and management. Creating a framework for usefully applying the research concepts in every-day life. Extrapolating insights from the psychology of individual decision makers to the organisational context and managerial decision-making. Creating highly applicable and impactful recommendations for how managers, organisations, and every day people can understand and manage uncertainty in their life. The book is divided into two main parts. Part I deals with the behaviour of individuals facing uncertainty and includes accessible explanations and examples of every-day applications, while Part II deals with behaviour in organisations facing uncertainty, where insights from Part I are combined and related to the organisational and work context to explore how, for example, (mis)-perceptions and decision-making biases impact managerial life. This is a must read for both managers and those who are seeking to better understand their own behaviour and management approach.
This is an extract from the 4-volume dictionary of economics, a reference book which aims to define the subject of economics today. 1300 subject entries in the complete work cover the broad themes of economic theory. This volume concentrates on the topic of allocation information and markets.
Until this book was published little had appeared on the matter of the organization of production in oil gathering. This book: Describes the global offshore oil supply industry and its features on one of the world’s major offshore oil services bases Draws on the theory of the multinational corporation to explain why buyers and sellers should have internationalized themselves into a symbiotic relationship Discusses the preference of the oil companies for vertical disintegration Explains the transaction cost paradigm Integrates the largely American literature on the transaction cost paradigm with the literature on the multinational corporation (which is largely British).
Sourcing Strategy is about sourcing as a long term strategic activity. Myopic purchasing management stops short with describing functional procedures and procedural innovations such as online order processing. The goal of this book is not merely to document sourcing strategy, but to provide the tools to determine it. Therefore, rather than merely describe common sourcing processes, the book takes a normative approach to sourcing strategy. It argues for a rational, complete and integrated process view. It supports its recommendations with logical arguments from an interdisciplinary and analytical approach grounded in microeconomics, law and business strategy. Part 1 of the book explains the economic and business principles that underlie sourcing strategies. It derives policies that guide viable strategies to meet sourcing goals. Part 2 applies these to creative designs for standard sourcing scenarios.
This two-volume set collects critical papers in the economic theory of auctions. Klemperer (economics, Oxford U.) starts with an introduction that summarizes the most basic concepts of auction theory. Next, 31 papers discuss early literature; introduction to the recent literature; the basic analysis of optimal auctions, revenue, equivalence, and marginal revenues; risk aversion; correlation and affiliation; asymmetries; entry costs and the number of bidders; and collusion. In Volume II, 27 papers cover multiunit auctions; royalties, incentive, contracts and payments for quality; double auctions, etc.; other topics (budget constraints, externalities between bidders, jump bidding, war of attrition, and competing auctioneers); and testing the theory. The set lacks a subject index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
The economics of search is a prominent component of economic theory, and it has a richness and elegance that underpins a host of practical applications. In this book Brian and John McCall present a comprehensive overview of the economic theory of search, from the classical model of job search formulated 40 years ago to the recent developments in equilibrium models of search. The book gives decision-theoretic foundations to seemingly slippery issues in labour market theory, estimation theory and economic dynamics in general, and surveys the entire field of the economics of search, including its history, theory, and econometric applications. Theoretical models of the economics of search are covered as well as estimation methods used in search theory and topics covered include job search, turnover, unemployment, liquidity, house selling, real options and auctions. The mathematical methods used in search theory such as dynamic programming are reviewed as well as structural estimation methods and econometric methods for duration models. The authors also explore the classic sequential search model and its extensions in addition to recent advances in equilibrium search theory.
Policy makers often call for increased spending on infrastructure, which can encompass a broad range of investments, from roads and bridges to digital networks that will expand access to high-speed broadband. Some point to the near-term macroeconomic benefits, such as job creation, associated with infrastructure spending; others point to the long-term effects of such spending on productivity and economic growth. Economic Analysis and Infrastructure Investment explores the links between infrastructure investment and economic outcomes, analyzing key economic issues in the funding and management of infrastructure projects. It includes new research on the short-run stimulus effects of infrastructure spending, develops new estimates of the stock of US infrastructure capital, and explores incentive aspects of public-private partnerships with particular attention to their allocation of risk. The volume provides a reference for researchers seeking to study infrastructure issues and for policymakers tasked with determining the appropriate level and allocation of infrastructure spending.