Managerial Economics & Organizational Architecture [Hardcover]

James Brickley (Author), Clifford Smith (Author), Jerold Zimmerman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 9, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0073523011 | ISBN-13: 978-0073523019 | Edition: 4

With two distinct objectives, this text’s approach to managerial economics takes models from recent economics research and applies the research to the internal structure of a firm. After teaching basic applied economics, the authors look inside the firm and apply this analysis to management decision making.

Authors Brickley, Smith, and Zimmerman contend that organizational architecture consists of three aspects of corporate organization: the assignment of decision rights within the company; methods of rewarding individuals; the structure of systems to evaluate the performance of both individuals and business units. These three components can be likened to a stool with three legs. If one of the legs is shorter, the stool is out of balance. These three elements must be in balance in the organization as well.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 752 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Irwin; 4 edition (May 9, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0073523011
• ISBN-13: 978-0073523019
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #441,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book in my MBA Program, December 9, 2005

By 

Budding Entrepreneur - See all my reviews

This review is from: Managerial Economics & Organizational Architecture (Hardcover)

This book was the best that I read in my MBA program. It is filled with great examples and is easy to read. At the same time it taught me important economic concepts. I had struggled with these concepts as an undergraduate but thanks to this text I now feel that I have them mastered. Unlike other economic texts this book focuses on real management problems.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Old Favorite Brought Up to Date, July 9, 2006

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Managerial Economics & Organizational Architecture (Hardcover)

This book has two real aspects.

First is is a good general introduction to economics that might be used at the upper undergraduate or MBA level. Note the title says that it is 'Managerial Economics.' This book is aimed at the student following a management track rather than a professional economics track. The concept of the book is to give an overview of all aspects of economic theory without a heavy concentration in any one particular area.

Second, this is the fourth edition of the book. This was made necessary because of the great changes that have occurred as a result of Enron, Arthur Anderson and the other companies that collectively made great changes in the business environment. One such change is the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, discussed at length here even though it is still too new to realize its full implications.

The case studies that are included reflect these new times: Arthur Anderson, Barings Bank, Interwest Healthcare, Property Right Security in Russian Deprivatization, eBay.com, iTunes, Wal-Mart.com and others that could come directly off of today's headlines.

This is a new and up-to-date edition of a well received book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Economics Book., June 23, 2006

By 

MBA Student (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Managerial Economics & Organizational Architecture (Hardcover)

I just finished a Managerial Economics MBA course that used this text. I found it to be very well written compared to textbooks I've read for other classes. I think it does a good job explaining supply and demand, intro to pricing, and intro to strategy and game theory. Examples are used to improve the reader's "economic" intuition. I talked to a friend who just finished a differnt MBA program who used this book. He recommended the book and especially liked the strategy segments and the prisoner's dilema.