Posts filed under ‘Teaching’
The New Bashing of Economics: The Case of Management Theory
| Nicolai Foss |
Where is the place to go for real, hardcore economics-bashing? Anthropology? Sociology? Hardly. At least for the outside observer (i.e., this blogger), these disciplines seem to have become so absorbed in terminological nitty-gritty, paradigm proliferation, and pomo excesses that they seem to have lost much interest in neighbouring disciplines. No, the answer is, management theory.
Cases in point? Check out any of these rather recent papers by management heavyweights: (more…)
We Got a Contract, We Got a Contract!!
| Nicolai Foss |
Peter and I have been working for some time on an idea for a book volume, entitled The Theory of the Firm: Emergence, Synthesis, Challenges, and New Directions.
There are several textbooks that present or make extensive use of the theory of the firm (e.g., Paul Milgrom and John Roberts, Economics, Organization, and Management; George Hendrikse, Economics and Management of Organizations; James Brickley, Clifford W. Smith, and William Zimmerman, Managerial Economics and Organizational Architecture; etc.). There are also lots of readers and reference collections (e.g., Louis Putterman, The Economic Nature of the Firm and Jay Barney and William Ouchi, Organizational Economics).
There is no need for yet another textbook or reader/reference collection. What the literature lacks, however, is a critical synthesis of the various streams in the theory of the firm, one that places these streams in a historical and methodological context, discusses the various controversies that have stimulated internal development in the theory of the firm, and assesses the many critiques that have been leveled at the theory by scholars in sociology, psychology and management.
Peter and I think we can write such a book. Luckily, Cambridge University Press agrees with us, and will offer a contract. (more…)
Professors Are From Mars, Students From Venus
| Peter Klein |
My department recently hosted a workshop at which faculty and undergraduate students could exchange suggestions for improving the classroom experience. Many of the students' requests were reasonable ("start and end class on time"; "give regular feedback on student performance"; "don't assign readings that won't be used"), some weren't ("realize that we get bored easily and need to be entertained"). Faculty requested things like "come to class prepared"; "take advantage of office hours"; and "put care into your writing and speaking."
My favorite faculty comment, however, was this: "Please don't send me email saying, 'I won't be in class Tuesday; will I miss anything?'"
Organizations and Markets 
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