Fair pricing is an issue that affects us all, whether we?re consumers or merchants. Throughout her career, Sarah Maxwell has seen how pricing practices?across a variety of different areas, from mobile phones and airline tickets to prescription drugs and gasoline?impact our everyday lives. Now, with "The Price Is Wrong, " Maxwell shares her deepest insights on this issue and examines both the psychological and sociological basis of fair pricing.

The highly praised Western, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, has been used in many game-theory courses over the years and has also found its way into leading journals of this field. Using the rich material offered by this movie, alongside other elements from popular culture, literature and history, this book furthers this exploration into a fascinating area of economics. In his series of Schumpeter lectures, Manfred J. Holler uses his analysis of Sergio Leone's movie as a starting point to argue that combinations of desires, secrets and second-mover advantages trigger conflicts but also allow for conflict resolution. Many people and organizations have a desire for secrecy, and this is often motivated by a desire to create a second-mover advantage, and by undercutting the second-mover advantage of others. This book demonstrates that the interaction of these three ingredients account for a large share of social problems and failures in politics and business but, somewhat paradoxically, can also help to overcome some of the problems that result by applying one or two of them in isolation. This book has been written for curious readers who want to see the world from a different perspective and who like simple mathematics alongside story telling. Its accessible approach means that it will be of use to students and academics alike, especially all those interested in decision making, game theory, and market entry.

Investment is the engine of growth. In consequence, the social welfare of the populace depends on the expectations of uncertain profitability as understood by the agents of a wealthy few who decide upon levels of investment. As private wealth is intimately tied to the investment process, the importance of wealth concentration goes far beyond considerations of equity. In recent years, private economic power has become increasingly concentrated as more of the population has become dependent upon an elite pursuing private ends. In this context, this book examines the role of capital accumulation in various historical contexts. Over seventy years ago, Michal Kalecki derived the mathematical relationship between government deficits, the external trade account and free cash-defined as the gross profit over and above that portion ploughed back into new investment. Since then, the free cash literature has remained largely within an industrial organizational context where free cash theory has helped to explain mergers. In contrast, this book, revisits Kalecki's free cash construction at the macro and global level and explores the various causes and effects of free cash on the economy. As part of this examination, the author highlights the historical uses of free cash in imperialist adventures, mergers and speculative endeavours. In addition to developing a new relative valuation measure of capital accumulation, he also utilizes a neo-Kaleckian model to help explain the U.S. slowdown in investment since the late 1960s, the increasing inequality of wealth and income and the recent speculative episodes associated with the spillage of free cash. Finally, based on these models the book argues for heightened taxes on the wealthy and an increased role for government investment in health care and energy. Free Cash, Capital Accumulation and Inequality offers an explanation as to how wealth and income inequalities have fashioned, and been fashioned by, various historical episodes right up to the present. It will be of great interest to those studying and researching in the field of economic analysis.

This book tells the story of what might have been considered an unlikely source of dynamic change in Russia - formerly state-owned manufacturing enterprises and their managers. Based on interviews conducted over a six-year span with managers at 47 manufacturing, light industry, consumer durable, and food processing firms in four Russian cities, the study documents the real world challenge of turning hidebound, often dysfunctional manufacturing operations into thriving companies. With analytical rigor and theoretical creativity, this work will dispel some common misconceptions about the Russian economy and make a contribution to the literature about management, company strategies, and corporate governance.

Local industrial clusters, such as Silicon Valley in the United States, have become an important subject of scholarly inquiry in recent years. This book offers a unifying view by capturing the general characteristics and prerequisites of local industrial clusters both on a theoretical as well as an empirical level. The book establishes a mathematical model to analyse the dynamics of clustering and the conditions that are to be satisfied if a local industrial cluster is to evolve. This model allows predictions about the spatial distribution of firms to be deducted, which are empirically tested in the book. This thorough methodology allows the author to postulate upon whether the number of local clusters that emerge in an industry is random, or whether it is predetermined. An impressive scholarly exercise, this book also contains important policy lessons. As such, Local Industrial Clusters will be a valuable read for policy-makers as well as academics.

This exciting new book from Geoffrey Hodgson is eagerly awaited by social scientists from many different backgrounds. This book charts the rise, fall and renewal of institutional economics in the critical, analytical and readable style that Hodgson's fans have come to know and love, and that a new generation of readers will surely come to appreciate.

This exciting new book from Geoffrey Hodgson is eagerly awaited by social scientists from many different backgrounds. This book charts the rise, fall and renewal of institutional economics in the critical, analytical and readable style that Hodgson's fans have come to know and love, and that a new generation of readers will surely come to appreciate.

Marginal Cost in the New Economy outlines a bold new approach for resolving a wide variety of public policy debates. It proposes that a single standard -- marginal cost methodology -- be adopted to replace the haphazard arrays of methods and techniques currently employed to measure the costs and benefits of disputed policy issues. The book's objective is to substitute a single set of harmonious principles for the inconsistent, erratic, and often self-serving approaches to cost-benefit determination currently applied to numerous public issues. The author explains how this methodology would provide an effective starting point for evaluating issues ranging from the relatively simple, such as school vouchers, to the more complex, including prescription drug prices and anti-trust questions. The book also includes a review of the economic requirements of the New Economy as contrasted with traditional microeconomics, which makes it equally useful for courses in microeconomics, public policy, or price theory.

Marginal Cost in the New Economy outlines a bold new approach for resolving a wide variety of public policy debates. It proposes that a single standard - marginal cost methodology - be adopted to replace the haphazard arrays of methods and techniques currently employed to measure the costs and benefits of disputed policy issues. The book's objective is to substitute a single set of harmonious principles for the inconsistent, erratic, and often self-serving approaches to cost-benefit determination currently applied to numerous public issues. The author explains how this methodology would provide an effective starting point for evaluating issues ranging from the relatively simple, such as school vouchers, to the more complex, including prescription drug prices and anti-trust questions. The book also includes a review of the economic requirements of the New Economy as contrasted with traditional microeconomics.

As the twenty-first century begins, significant changes are occurring in the way that services and goods are produced and consumed. One of the key drivers of this change is information and communications technology (ICT). It has transformed the role of space and time in patterns of economic development, in the rise of globalisation and in the scale and structure of organisations. ICT has therefore accelerated the process of continual change and evolution that is the hallmark of both the capitalist economy and of organisations.
A student-friendly account is given of the diversity of theoretical perspectives for understanding the evolving economic geography of advanced capitalist economies. A series of detailed firm and employees' case-studies from Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific, are used to inform the theoretical case-studies. These also highlight and examine the significance of the increased blurring of the distinction between services and manufacturing functions in the production and consumption process.

As the twenty-first century begins, significant changes are occurring in the way that services and goods are produced and consumed. One of the key drivers of this change is information and communications technology (ICT). It has transformed the role of space and time in patterns of economic development, in the rise of globalisation and in the scale and structure of organisations. ICT has therefore accelerated the process of continual change and evolution that is the hallmark of both the capitalist economy and of organisations.
A student-friendly account is given of the diversity of theoretical perspectives for understanding the evolving economic geography of advanced capitalist economies. A series of detailed firm and employees' case-studies from Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific, are used to inform the theoretical case-studies. These also highlight and examine the significance of the increased blurring of the distinction between services and manufacturing functions in the production and consumption process.

The Eighth Edition of the standard engineering economy text and reference explains the principles and techniques needed for making decisions about the acquisition and retirement of capital goods by industry and government, as well as alternative types of financing and other applications. Arranged in four parts: basic concepts, principles, and mathematics; procedures and methods for evaluating alternatives; techniques for handling special situations; and special applications. Introduces the use of computers and spreadsheets in evaluating engineering alternatives. Includes up-to-date coverage of federal tax legislation, extensive discussions and problems dealing with personal finance, and material on handling multiple alternatives by rate of return and benefit/cost ratio methods. Contains numerous examples and 476 problems, many entirely new. Accompanied by a complete solutions manual for the instructor.

In recent years the understanding of the cognitive foundations of economic behavior has become increasingly important. This volume contains contributions from such leading scholars as Adam Brandenburger, Michael Bacharach and Patrick Suppes. It will be of great interest to academics and researchers involved in the field of economics and psychology as well as those interested in political economy more generally.

The book focuses on three main themes:
*Overpopulation associated with low productivity, unemployment, persistent poverty and weak savings and investment capacity.
*The post-1950 development strategies and their outcomes
*The institutional structures that are constraining economic and political progress. Egypt in the Twenty First Century is a much needed investigation into the long-term economic reform and restructuring and examines the challenges ahead for the country. It provides authoritative analyses from a collection of respected academics and a wealth of new data. It will appeal to all those interested in the political economy of contemporary Egypt. agriculture, industry and political systems.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203710533

"The Logic of Industrial Organization" discusses key themes in industrial relations, manufacturing, employment and investment and education for business administration. The book contains chapters on: the structure of industry; the efficiency of large-scale operation; planned and free consumption; forecasting and market research; competition; rationalization and nationalization; investment and employment; incentives to work and mobility; and stimulus to enterprise and administration.

The first part of the book is devoted to an historical survey of what has been written regarding Britain's policy problems since 1946: problems such as full employment, the sources and methods of controlling inflation and the measures to promote economic growth. At an international level, issues such as economic relations with Europe and the question of devaluation are considered. The subsequent part of the book considers how far economists' recommendations regarding policies have been derived from well-tested theories, or how far they have been based on speculation, guesswork or judgement.

The Beatles are considered the most influential popular music act of the twentieth century, widely recognized for their influence on popular culture. The inability of other bands and artists to imitate their fame has prompted questions such as: How did the Beatles become so successful? What factors contributed to their success? Why did they break up? The Beatles and Economics: Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and the Making of a Cultural Revolution answers these questions using the lens of economic analysis. Economics provides the prism for explaining why their success-while legendary in scale-is not mythic. This book explores how the band's commercial achievements were intimately tied to the larger context of economic globalization and rebuilding post-World War II. It examines how the Beatles' time in Hamburg is best understood as an investment in human capital, and why the entrepreneurial growth mindset was critical to establishing a scalable market niche and sustaining the Beatles' ability to lead and shape emerging markets in entertainment and popular music. Later chapters consider how the economics of decision making and organizational theory helps us to understand the band's break-up at its economic peak. This essential text is of interest to anyone interested in the economic dynamics and social forces that shape cultural change.

This authoritative book from Cristiano Antonelli provides a systematic account of recent advances in the economics of innovation. By integrating this account with the economics of technological change, the book elaborates an understanding of the effects of the introduction of new technologies.
The innovation economics community will appreciate this excellent, comprehensive account, provided by a respected expert, and it is also a book that must be read by all those with an interest in Economic Theory.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203217438

In the context of Makassar, on the eastern Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the book explores the socioeconomic and cultural relationships that make life for small entrepreneurs in Makassar so distinctive. Using a new framework for the study of small enterprises - the 'small enterprise integrative framework' - this book gives us a greater understanding of the organization and operations of small enterprises in developing countries, at both the micro and macro levels. The application of this new framework for research reveals the diversity of labour flexibility, networking and cluster styles amongst the enterprises studies, and the constraints they face for growth. Whilst the recent Southeast Asian economic crisis has been heralded by certain commentators as a new era for small enterprises in the region, the book concludes that local realities for the small enterprises in Makassar mean that, whilst for some it has been a time of shifting fortunes, others have continued trading on the margins.

This book can be used as a way of introducing business and management students to economic concepts as well as providing economics students with a clear grasp of how to use the skills they will need in the world of business.
Topics covered include:
*product differentiation
*price discrimination
*hiring and training workers
*labor-management relations
*international trade
A host of key features are employed to add colour to the text including case studies, examples and discussion questions. Scenarios presented centre upon a diverse range of subjects and firms including Eurostar, NHL hockey equipment, Chevrolet, Philips and pension plans.

This book provides an incredibly detailed and thorough account of how Vietnam's dependence on Soviet aid during the 1960s and 1970s sustained and yet ultimately undermined the centrally-planned economy. Foreign aid provided most of the resources which, in the context of an under-developed agrarian economy, permitted planned industrialisation. Yet, as in other socialist countries, chronic shortages emerged and, particularly when aid supplies were cut after 1975, encouraged individuals and enterprises to divert resources to local uses. The authors show how development of non-plan trading relations was based on supplies of scarce, aid-subsidised goods which provided the means for local authorities, enterprises and individuals to convert their positions of political and social power into capital. They further highlight the ways in which new, market-oriented trade relations emerged in symbiosis with the planning system and continue to influence the economic structure and institutions today. Economic Transition in Vietnam outlines the many problems currently facing Vietnam, not least how new global forms of integration are affecting future development.

Measuring quality of life has been identified as fundamental in assessing the relative progress of societies and as having relevance for both monitoring and policy-making purposes. Self-reported measures of well-being, referred to as subjective well-being, have become increasingly topical given the growing awareness of the limitations of existing measures of well-being including gross domestic product (GDP). In the UK, the ONS's 'Happiness Index' was launched in 2010 by Prime Minister David Cameron. This book aims to improve our understanding of well-being through an analysis of time-use in a post-industrial society, the UK, drawing on empirical data from large-scale surveys such as Understanding Society and smaller-scale case study evidence. It uses a plurality of theoretical perspectives to explore the relationship between our use of time and our reported levels of satisfaction, and considers the policy lessons that we can take from our organization of time.

This title focuses on one aspect of migration, namely its ethnic competition. Rather than observe population movements in general, the study is limited to the movements of specific ethnic groups. It explores the role played by ethnicity in determining which groups move and which groups stay.

Universal basic income is a controversial policy which is causing a stir amongst academics, politicians, journalists and policy-makers all over the world. The idea of receiving 'money for nothing', with no strings attached, has for a long time appeared a crazy or radical proposal. But today, this policy is being put into practice. With more and more trials and experiments taking place in different countries, this book provides both the theory and context for making sense of different basic income approaches, examining how the policy can be best implemented. Unlike many other texts written on this topic, the book provides a balanced account of basic income, weighing up the pros and cons from a number of different positions. The book provides a theory chapter, enabling readers to grasp some of the complex philosophical ideas and concepts which underpin universal basic income, such as social justice, equality and freedom. It also provides an examples chapter, which examines both historical and contemporary basic income studies to have taken place from around the globe. The book also features chapters on the environment and the work of women, as well as an 'against' universal basic income chapter, which specifically draws on the criticisms of the policy. This volume is an essential resource for anyone who wishes to get to grips with universal basic income.

Over the last two decades, Routine Dynamics has emerged as an international research community that shares a particular approach to organizational phenomena. At the heart of this approach is an interest in examining the emergence, reproduction, replication and change of routines as recognizable patterns of actions. In contrast to other research communities interested in those phenomena, Routine Dynamics studies are informed by a distinctive set of theories (especially practice theory and related process-informed theories). This Handbook offers both an accessible introduction to core concepts and approaches in Routine Dynamics as well as a comprehensive and authoritative overview of research in different areas of Routine Dynamics. The chapters of this Handbook are structured around four core themes: 1) Theoretical resources for research on the dynamics of routines, 2) Methodological issues in studying the dynamics routines, 3) Themes in Routine Dynamics research and 4) Relation of Routine Dynamics to other communities of thought.