MBA Economics

This course analyzes the economic performance of the United States and other national economies. How the government and its policies shape the rules of the game for business activity and influence the economic performance of businesses and nations is stressed. Specific topics include measuring national economic performance, the determinants of productivity and output growth, consumption and investment, labor markets and unemployment, inflation and monetary policy, taxes and government spending, and economic fluctuations.

Topics to be covered include supply and demand, consumer behavior, capital markets, cost and production, competitive markets, and choices under uncertainty. The emphasis of the course will be on understanding the basic principles of microeconomic theory and learning how to use these principles to analyze real-world problems.

This course examines the role of money and credit in the economy, with an eye toward understanding government regulation of financial markets and central-bank operations. The economics of the financial system, with a special emphasis on the theories and history of payment and credit instruments and the management of risk by financial intermediaries, is considered. Building on the foundations of money and credit, we will investigate the macroeconomic consequences of government involvement in financial markets, and the policies of the Federal Reserve in particular—from promoting financial stability to the management of the business cycle.

This course will help students develop an understanding of issues in international macroeconomics that are important for managers operating in the global marketplace. It will cover theories of the determination of exchange rates and interest rates, the management of foreign exchange risk, international capital flows, debt and currency crises, international monetary and exchange rate regimes, the roles of the international financial institutions in developing countries, and other characteristics of international financial markets.

The main purpose of this course is to better understand the nonmarket environment, and discuss firms’ strategies in light of regulatory, legal, political, and social constraints that they face. Students will discuss the rationales for economic regulation and describe the main tools of economic regulation (such as the industry conduct regulation of natural monopolies and industrial structure regulation imposed by antitrust laws). Students also discuss firms’ strategies in light of environmental, safety, or intellectual property concerns.

Businesses have succeeded and failed in remarkably diverse contexts throughout history, and yet businesses can be slow in adapting to changes in the economic environment. This course is designed to provide historical perspective on the modern business environment in preparation for seemingly unprecedented business opportunities or challenges. This course fulfills the Business Environment requirement.

This course examines foundational topics in human resource management with a focus on coordinating human resource practices and business strategy. Topics covered include employee selection and retention, training and development, performance evaluation, compensation, job design, and communications within the firm. Classes will combine case discussions with lectures, blending theory and application.

In this course, students apply tools from microeconomics and game theory to the analysis of strategic decision-making by firms. Specific topics covered include the sources of industry and firm profitability, strategic positioning, sustainable competitive advantage, the boundaries of the firm, incomplete contracts, vertical integration, strategic commitment, dynamic pricing, entry and exit, network effects, and platform markets.