List of figures |
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xviii | |
List of tables |
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xxi | |
Preface |
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xxiii | |
Video lectures and suggested uses |
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xxxiii | |
How to use this book in traditional, online, and hybrid courses |
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xxxvi | |
Book I The market economy, overview and application |
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1 | (198) |
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1 Microeconomics: a way of thinking about business |
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3 | (48) |
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Part A Theory and public policy applications |
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8 | (28) |
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The emergence of a market |
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8 | (2) |
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10 | (3) |
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13 | (1) |
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Developing and using economic theories |
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14 | (2) |
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Microeconomics and macroeconomics |
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16 | (1) |
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Private property rights, game theory, and the Prisoner's Dilemma |
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17 | (1) |
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Private property rights and the games economists play |
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18 | (1) |
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Private property rights and the market |
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19 | (1) |
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The emergence of private property rights |
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20 | (3) |
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Game theory: Prisoner's Dilemmas |
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23 | (1) |
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Prisoner's Dilemma solutions: enforcement and trade |
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24 | (3) |
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Communal property rights and the "tragedy of the commons" |
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27 | (5) |
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Voluntary organizations and firms as solutions for "tragedies of the commons" |
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32 | (1) |
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The tragedy of the anticommons |
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33 | (3) |
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Perspective 1 "I, Pencil," by Leonard E. Read |
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36 | (4) |
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Part B Organizational economics and management |
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40 | (8) |
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Managing through incentives |
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40 | (1) |
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41 | (1) |
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The growing importance of incentives |
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42 | (1) |
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The classic Lincoln Electric case study |
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42 | (2) |
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Incentives and managed earnings |
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44 | (1) |
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Why incentives are important |
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45 | (3) |
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Practical lessons for serious business students |
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48 | (1) |
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49 | (1) |
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Recommended video lectures |
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49 | (1) |
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49 | (1) |
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50 | (1) |
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2 Principles of rational behavior in society and business |
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51 | (46) |
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Part A Theory and public policy applications |
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53 | (15) |
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Rationality: a basis for exploring human behavior |
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54 | (3) |
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Rational decisions in a constrained environment |
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57 | (3) |
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Maximizing satisfaction; costbenefit analysis |
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60 | (2) |
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The effects of time and risk on costs and benefits |
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62 | (4) |
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What rational behavior does not mean |
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66 | (2) |
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Perspective 2 The evolutionary foundations of cooperation |
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68 | (4) |
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Part B Organizational economics and management |
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72 | (21) |
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The logic of group behavior in business and elsewhere |
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72 | (1) |
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The common-interest logic of group behavior |
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72 | (2) |
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The economic logic of group behavior |
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74 | (9) |
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Overcoming Prisoner's Dilemmas through tough bosses |
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83 | (1) |
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84 | (6) |
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The role of the residual claimant in abating Prisoner's Dilemmas in large groups |
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90 | (3) |
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Practical lessons for serious business students |
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93 | (1) |
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93 | (1) |
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Recommended video lectures |
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93 | (1) |
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94 | (1) |
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95 | (2) |
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3 Competitive product markets and firm decisions |
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97 | (52) |
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Part A Theory and public policy applications |
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99 | (27) |
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The competitive market process |
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99 | (3) |
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Supply and demand: a market model |
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102 | (9) |
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111 | (5) |
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The efficiency of the competitive market model |
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116 | (2) |
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118 | (6) |
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Competitive labor markets |
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124 | (2) |
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Perspective 3 Why queues? |
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126 | (4) |
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Part B Organizational economics and management |
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130 | (15) |
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Making worker wages profitable in competitive markets |
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130 | (1) |
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Henry Ford's "overpayment" |
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130 | (4) |
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Overpayments to prevent misuse of firm resources |
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134 | (1) |
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The underpayment and overpayment of workers |
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135 | (1) |
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The overpayment/underpayment connection |
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136 | (1) |
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136 | (3) |
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The role of employers' "credible commitments" |
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139 | (6) |
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Practical lessons for serious business students |
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145 | (1) |
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146 | (1) |
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Recommended video lectures |
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146 | (1) |
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146 | (1) |
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147 | (2) |
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4 Applications of the economic way of thinking: domestic government and management policies |
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149 | (50) |
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Part A Theory and public policy applications |
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150 | (28) |
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150 | (3) |
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153 | (4) |
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The California drought and the effects of low and controlled water prices on conservation |
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157 | (4) |
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Fringe benefits, incentives, and profits |
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161 | (7) |
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168 | (8) |
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The draft versus the all-volunteer military service |
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176 | (2) |
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Perspective 4 Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and economists' supply and demand curves, contrasting views on human (and economic) choices |
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178 | (7) |
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Part B Organizational economics and management |
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185 | (10) |
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How honesty can pay in business |
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186 | (2) |
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Game theory, again: games of trust |
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188 | (2) |
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Moral hazards and adverse selection |
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190 | (2) |
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The role of "hostages" in business |
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192 | (1) |
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192 | (1) |
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193 | (1) |
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193 | (1) |
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193 | (1) |
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194 | (1) |
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195 | (1) |
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Practical lessons for serious business students |
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195 | (1) |
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196 | (1) |
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Recommended video lectures |
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196 | (1) |
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196 | (1) |
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197 | (2) |
Book II Applications of basic economic theory |
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199 | (68) |
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5 Applications of the economic way of thinking: international economics |
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201 | (31) |
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Part A International trade theory and public policy applications |
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203 | (13) |
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Global economics: international trade |
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203 | (1) |
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Aggregate gains from trade |
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203 | (2) |
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The law of comparative advantage |
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205 | (3) |
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The distributional effects of trade |
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208 | (1) |
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209 | (1) |
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The effects of trade restrictions |
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210 | (1) |
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Special interests' politics and trade restrictions |
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211 | (1) |
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Protection retaliation and trade wars |
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212 | (2) |
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Interconnections of comparative advantage |
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214 | (1) |
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The Trade Authority Bill 2015 |
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215 | (1) |
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Perspective 5 "A PETITION From the Manufacturers of Candles, ... and Generally of Everything Connected with Lighting," by Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850), Sophismes economiques, 1845 |
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216 | (3) |
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Part B International finance |
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219 | (10) |
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The process of international monetary exchange |
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220 | (1) |
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The exchange of national currencies |
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221 | (2) |
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Determination of the exchange rate |
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223 | (2) |
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Exchange rates and changes in domestic market conditions |
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225 | (2) |
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Monetary and fiscal policies |
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227 | (2) |
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Practical lessons for serious business students |
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229 | (1) |
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229 | (1) |
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Recommended video lectures |
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230 | (1) |
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230 | (1) |
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230 | (2) |
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6 Applications of the economic way of thinking: environmental economics |
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232 | (35) |
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Part A Green economics: external costs and benefits |
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233 | (15) |
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Competitive markets and environmental failures |
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234 | (1) |
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235 | (3) |
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238 | (2) |
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The pros and cons of government action |
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240 | (1) |
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Methods of reducing externalities |
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241 | (4) |
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Choosing the most efficient remedy for reducing external costs of pollution |
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245 | (3) |
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Perspective 6 Why walking to work can be more polluting than driving to work |
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248 | (5) |
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Part B Organizational economics and management |
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253 | (10) |
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The consequences of "quicksilver capital" for business and government |
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253 | (2) |
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Capital mobility and business competitiveness |
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255 | (1) |
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Capital mobility and government competitiveness |
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255 | (3) |
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Collective agreement problems in averting global-warming Armageddon |
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258 | (5) |
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Practical lessons for serious business students |
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263 | (1) |
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264 | (1) |
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Recommended video lectures |
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264 | (1) |
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264 | (1) |
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265 | (2) |
Book III Demand and production theory |
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267 | (136) |
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7 Consumer choice and demand in traditional and network markets |
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269 | (41) |
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Part A Theory and public policy applications |
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270 | (21) |
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Predicting consumer demand |
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270 | (1) |
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Rational consumption: the concept of marginal utility |
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271 | (3) |
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Changes in price and the law of demand |
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274 | (2) |
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From individual demand to market demand |
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276 | (1) |
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Elasticity: consumers' responsiveness to price changes |
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277 | (5) |
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Applications of the concept of elasticity |
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282 | (3) |
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Determinants of the price elasticity of demand |
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285 | (1) |
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286 | (2) |
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Normal and inferior goods |
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288 | (1) |
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Substitutes and complementary goods |
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289 | (1) |
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Acquisition and transactional utility |
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290 | (1) |
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Objections to demand theory |
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291 | (1) |
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Perspective 7 Common concerns relating to the law of demand |
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291 | (6) |
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Part B Organizational economics and management |
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297 | (9) |
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Pricing strategies and demand characteristics |
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297 | (6) |
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Scarcity, abundance, and economic value |
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303 | (1) |
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303 | (3) |
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Practical lessons for serious business students |
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306 | (1) |
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307 | (1) |
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Recommended video lectures |
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307 | (1) |
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307 | (1) |
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308 | (2) |
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8 Production costs and the theory of the firm |
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310 | (50) |
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Part A Theory and public policy applications |
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312 | (13) |
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312 | (4) |
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The special significance of marginal cost |
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316 | (4) |
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The cost-benefit trade-off |
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320 | (3) |
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Price and marginal cost: producing to maximize profits |
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323 | (1) |
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From individual supply to market supply |
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324 | (1) |
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Perspective 8 The last-period problem |
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325 | (8) |
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Part B Organizational economics and management |
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333 | (22) |
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Production costs and firms' size and organizational structure |
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333 | (2) |
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335 | (7) |
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Changes in organizational costs |
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342 | (2) |
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Overcoming the large-numbers' Prisoner's Dilemma problems |
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344 | (2) |
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346 | (4) |
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The value of reputation, again |
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350 | (1) |
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351 | (4) |
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Practical lessons for serious business students |
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355 | (1) |
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356 | (1) |
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Recommended video lectures |
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356 | (1) |
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357 | (1) |
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358 | (2) |
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9 Production costs in the short run and long run |
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360 | (43) |
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Part A Theory and public policy applications |
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362 | (11) |
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Fixed, variable, and total costs in the short run |
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362 | (1) |
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Marginal and average costs in the short run |
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363 | (3) |
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Marginal and average costs in the long run |
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366 | (2) |
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Long-run average and marginal cost curves |
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368 | (1) |
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Industry differences in average cost |
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368 | (3) |
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Shifts in the average and marginal cost curves |
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371 | (1) |
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372 | (1) |
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Perspective 9 Myth of the first-mover advantage |
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373 | (3) |
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Part B Organizational economics and management |
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376 | (23) |
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Firms' debt/equity structures and executive incentives |
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376 | (2) |
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Debt and equity as alternative investment vehicles |
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378 | (2) |
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Past failed incentives in the S&L industry |
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380 | (3) |
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Industry maturity and funds misuse |
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383 | (2) |
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Firm maturity and indebtedness |
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385 | (1) |
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The bottom-line consequences of firms' financial structures |
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385 | (1) |
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The emergence of the housing bubble and burst of the early 2000s |
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386 | (9) |
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The bailout and stimulus policy debate, for and against |
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395 | (2) |
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Lessons learned from the housing and economic crisis? |
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397 | (2) |
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Practical lessons for serious business students |
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399 | (1) |
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399 | (1) |
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Recommended video lecture |
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399 | (1) |
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|
400 | (1) |
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|
401 | (2) |
Book IV Competitive and monopoly market structures |
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403 | (194) |
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10 Firm production under idealized competitive conditions |
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405 | (45) |
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Part A Theory and public policy applications |
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406 | (24) |
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Pricing and production strategies under four market structures |
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407 | (4) |
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The perfect competitor's production decision |
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411 | (3) |
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Maximizing short-run profits |
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414 | (2) |
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Minimizing short-run losses |
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416 | (2) |
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Producing over the long run |
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418 | (3) |
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Marginal benefit versus marginal cost |
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421 | (2) |
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The efficiency of perfect competition: a critique |
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423 | (3) |
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Price takers and price searchers |
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426 | (2) |
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The perfection in perfect competition? |
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428 | (2) |
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Perspective 10 The "innovator's dilemma" |
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|
430 | (6) |
|
Part B Organizational economics and management |
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436 | (9) |
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Competing cost-effectively through efficient teams |
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|
436 | (1) |
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437 | (4) |
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441 | (2) |
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Experimental evidence on the effectiveness of team pay |
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|
443 | (2) |
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Practical lessons for serious business students |
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|
445 | (2) |
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|
447 | (1) |
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Recommended video lectures |
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|
447 | (1) |
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447 | (1) |
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448 | (2) |
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11 Monopoly power and firm pricing decisions |
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450 | (52) |
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Part A Theory and public policy applications |
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452 | (26) |
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452 | (2) |
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The limits of monopoly power |
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454 | (4) |
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Equating marginal cost with marginal revenue |
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458 | (3) |
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The comparative inefficiency of monopoly |
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|
461 | (2) |
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463 | (2) |
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465 | (5) |
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Applications of monopoly theory |
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|
470 | (2) |
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The total cost of monopoly |
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|
472 | (3) |
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|
475 | (1) |
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Monopoly in government and inside firms |
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|
476 | (2) |
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Perspective 11 The QWERTY keyboard: a case of "lock-in"? |
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|
478 | (3) |
|
Part B Organizational economics and management |
|
|
481 | (12) |
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Profits from creative pricing |
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|
481 | (1) |
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Price discrimination in practice |
|
|
481 | (6) |
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|
487 | (6) |
|
Practical lessons for serious business students |
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|
493 | (1) |
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|
494 | (1) |
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Recommended video lectures |
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|
494 | (1) |
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|
495 | (1) |
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|
496 | (2) |
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Appendix: short-run profits and losses |
|
|
498 | (3) |
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|
501 | (1) |
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|
501 | (1) |
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12 Firm strategy under imperfectly competitive market conditions |
|
|
502 | (47) |
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Part A Theory and public policy applications |
|
|
504 | (22) |
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|
505 | (4) |
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|
509 | (4) |
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Cartels: incentives to collude and to cheat |
|
|
513 | (2) |
|
Game theory: cartels and the Nash equilibrium |
|
|
515 | (3) |
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The case of the natural monopoly |
|
|
518 | (2) |
|
The economics and politics of business regulation |
|
|
520 | (6) |
|
Perspective 12 Pedophiles and the regulation of hugging, with Kathryn Shelton |
|
|
526 | (7) |
|
Part B Organizational economics and management |
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|
533 | (11) |
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"Hostile" takeover as a check on managerial monopolies |
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|
533 | (1) |
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|
534 | (1) |
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The market for corporate control |
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|
534 | (3) |
|
The efficiency of takeovers |
|
|
537 | (6) |
|
Will monopoly profits last into the very long run? |
|
|
543 | (1) |
|
Practical lessons for serious business students |
|
|
544 | (2) |
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|
546 | (1) |
|
Recommended video lectures |
|
|
546 | (1) |
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|
546 | (1) |
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|
547 | (2) |
|
13 Competitive and monopsonistic labor markets |
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|
549 | (48) |
|
Part A Theory and public policy applications |
|
|
551 | (19) |
|
The demand for and supply of labor |
|
|
551 | (6) |
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|
557 | (5) |
|
Overtime pay, an unmitigated benefit for covered workers? |
|
|
562 | (1) |
|
Monopsonistic labor markets |
|
|
563 | (5) |
|
Employer cartels: monopsony power through collusion |
|
|
568 | (1) |
|
Monopsony and the minimum wage |
|
|
569 | (1) |
|
Perspective 13 Why professors have tenure and businesspeople don't |
|
|
570 | (8) |
|
Part B Organizational economics and management |
|
|
578 | (14) |
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|
578 | (8) |
|
When managers can change the rate of piece-rate pay |
|
|
586 | (1) |
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|
587 | (1) |
|
Why incentive pay equals higher pay |
|
|
588 | (3) |
|
One-time bonuses versus annual raises |
|
|
591 | (1) |
|
Practical lessons for serious business students |
|
|
592 | (1) |
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|
593 | (1) |
|
Recommended video lectures |
|
|
593 | (1) |
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|
594 | (1) |
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|
595 | (2) |
Book V Behavioral economics: a challenge to conventional microeconomics |
|
597 | (79) |
|
14 Challenges of behavioral economists |
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|
599 | (33) |
|
Part A The overall dimensions of the behavioral challenge |
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|
600 | (19) |
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604 | (5) |
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|
609 | (2) |
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611 | (2) |
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|
613 | (3) |
|
Acquisition and transaction utility |
|
|
616 | (1) |
|
|
617 | (2) |
|
Perspective 14 Neuroeconomics, by Paul J. Zak |
|
|
619 | (1) |
|
Part B Behavioral finance |
|
|
620 | (9) |
|
The efficient-market hypothesis, again |
|
|
620 | (1) |
|
Behaviorists' objections to conventional finance theory |
|
|
621 | (8) |
|
|
629 | (1) |
|
|
629 | (1) |
|
|
630 | (2) |
|
15 Problems with behavioral economics |
|
|
632 | (44) |
|
Part A Concerns with basic principles of behavioral economics |
|
|
633 | (23) |
|
The perfect rationality caricature |
|
|
633 | (7) |
|
Reliance on constrained laboratory studies |
|
|
640 | (2) |
|
The human brain's internal inclination to correct errant decisions |
|
|
642 | (3) |
|
Ecologically adaptive environments |
|
|
645 | (1) |
|
Subjects' overall rationality |
|
|
646 | (4) |
|
Errant decisions, entrepreneurs, and market pressures |
|
|
650 | (5) |
|
The rational emergence of choice options |
|
|
655 | (1) |
|
Perspective 15 NBC's anchor Brian Williams' fall from grace, "false memory," and incentives |
|
|
656 | (5) |
|
Part B "Nudges" and their problems |
|
|
661 | (12) |
|
|
661 | (5) |
|
|
666 | (4) |
|
From nudges to mandates: the slippery slope |
|
|
670 | (3) |
|
|
673 | (1) |
|
Recommended video lecture |
|
|
673 | (1) |
|
|
673 | (2) |
|
|
675 | (1) |
Bibliography |
|
676 | (31) |
Index |
|
707 | |