Instructions:
Term Paper: A final paper (8 pages minimum) that focuses on the course content, applied in the setting of your cu
ent or past employer, will be due in Module 7. In this paper you will focus on the following:
1.Provide a description of the company that you work for. As part of your description include a discussion of the type of organizational structure.
– Pricewaterhousecoopers – Tax Associate
2. Describe an agency problem within the firm and discuss what you think is causing the problem and how the problem might be better controlled.
- Please, you can come up an agency problem that PricewaterhouseCoopers has within and write about that.
3. Describe the job dimensions of the firm and discuss whether or not you believe the cu
ent design is appropriate for the firm. Discuss any suggestions you might have for improving the job design. Grouped by function or by product or geography or a matrix organization? Provide a diagram if helpful to illustrate. Is this organization effective?
4. Describe the compensation package for executives and employees within the firm. Discuss whether or not you believe that the compensation package is effective and any suggestions that you might have for improving the compensation package.
While these questions focus on the latter half of the course, you should remain mindful of the economic concepts that were developed in the beginning of the course. An “A” paper will demonstrate a thorough understanding of the relevant topics, completely discuss each of the four points of the paper, use terminology appropriate to the topic, and use word choice, spelling, and sentence structure appropriate for graduate-level work.
Specific Formatting Instructions
1. All assignments must be completed as Word documents. If you do not have Word you can use Microsoft WordPad and use the rich text format (.rtf extension).
2. All assignments must be prepared in the APA format, including references.
3. Cover page. Use a single cover page that contains:
a. the title of the assignment
. your name
4. Margins. All page margins should be the default margins for your word processing program. Use only the LEFT margin justification setting.
5. Page numbering. Please use page numbering for all pages except the cover page.
6. Spacing/Font. All papers should be single-spaced only (this includes spacing between paragraphs) and a 12 point font.
7. Direct quotes/ paraphrasing. Direct quotes and paraphrasing MUST be referenced and cited using APA guidelines. Although there is no limit on how many citations are in the paper, I will use limits of 15% for quotations and 25% for unoriginal wording for this course. When more than one quarter of a paper seems to be unoriginal, it usually indicates a problem. Even if sources are properly cited and some of the words are changed, it raises the question of how much original thinking went into the paper. There is a big difference between starting with a blank page and writing your own thoughts, and building the paper around quotes, paraphrased sources, and the altered wording of another author. You are encouraged to use textbook concepts as you attempt to explain in your own words the answers to the assignments rather than relying heavily on quoted material. Try to think about how you would explain your answer to someone who has not taken a managerial economics class. High scores on the originality report in Turnitin are not just a result of plagiarism; they can also result from an inco
ect quotation/citation methodology or from using words that have been rea
anged from your sources. If you use someone else’s work you must cite and reference it appropriately.
8. References. You must include a separate References page in APA format with each paper. Any source that is used to develop your paper must be included in this section.
9. File Name. The file that you submit to the Assignment box is the one that your instructor will grade. To facilitate the grading process, please save your file name as lastname_assignment name (e.g., caldwell_chapter 1 case study) so that when you upload the file it will be obvious to me who the file is from once it is downloaded for grading.
Use of Turnitin: You will be submitting your term paper to an Assignment box that is linked to Turnitin. For those of you not familiar with Turnitin, it is a plagiarism identification service that can also assist students with term paper reference methodology. The Turnitin tool compares your writing against all published sources and also checks against prior class papers. You must cite all your source material including direct quotations, paraphrasing, and statements of fact. Click the Turnitin link under Resources in the course menu to download additional information on how the integration with the Assignment box works.
Economic concepts discussed throughout the class
Module 1 Introduction to the Role of Economics in Decision-Making
Objectives When you complete this module, you should be able to:
1 Identify and evaluate the importance of each of the “three legs of the stool” of organizational architecture.
2 Explain and compare the economic approach to behavior using simple choice models against alternative models of behavior.
3 Define and apply the concept of opportunity cost.
4 Explain how a market system differs from a centrally planned economy.
Module 2 The Foundations of Demand and Supply
Objectives When you complete this module, you should be able to:
1 Identify the variables that can influence the demand for a firm’s product.
2 Utilize the various measures of elasticity to describe how much the demand for a firm's product can be affected by those variables.
3 Determine how a firm chooses its optimal mix of inputs to produce its output.
4 Explain the relevant costs that a firm faces in its decision-making.
Module 3 The Importance of Market Structures
Objectives When you complete this module, you should be able to:
1 Compare and contrast the four different market structures.
2 Explain what it means for a firm to have market power.
3 Evaluate different pricing strategies used by firms to make pricing decisions.
Module 4 The Economics of Strategy
Objectives When you complete this module, you should be able to:
1 Compare and contrast creating value and capturing value.
2 Appraise the use of game theory in practice.
Module 5 Incentive Conflicts, Contracts, and Organizational Architecture
Objectives When you complete this module, you should be able to:
1 Identify potential sources of incentive conflicts within firms.
2 Evaluate the use of contracts to control incentive conflicts.
3 Outline the determinants of a successful organizational architecture.
4 Explain how corporate culture enhances communication and helps set employee expectations.
Module 6 The First Leg of the Stool – Decision Rights
Objectives When you complete this module, you should be able to:
1 Critique the costs and benefits of centralization versus decentralization in establishing decision rights.
2 Formulate a rationale for the use of teams in a decision-making process.
3 Evaluate the benefits of specialized versus
oad task assignments.
4 Compare the costs and benefits of alternative organizational structures.
Module 7 The Second Leg of the Stool – Methods of Reward
Objectives When you complete this module, you should be able to:
1 Explain how employers can use pay level to attract, retain, and motivate employees.
2 Critique the basic economic model of employment and wages and its extensions on the implications in human capital, compensating differentials, internal labor markets, and the choice between salary and fringe benefits.
3 Appraise the practice of incentive compensation and its costs and benefits.
Module 8 The Third Leg of the Stool – Performance Evaluation
Objectives When you complete this module, you should be able to:
1 Contrast the use of relative, subjective, and objective performance measures to evaluate employee performance.
2 Identify methods for evaluating team performance.
Mainly, the course had general economic concepts that can found in several sources.
Thank you