Ambiguity in the use of term
The term 'business economics' is used in a variety of ways. Sometimes it is used as synonymously with industrial economics/industrial organisation, managerial economics, and economics for business. Still, there may be substantial differences in the usage of 'economics for business' and 'managerial economics' with the latter used more narrowly. One view of the distinctions between these would be that business economics is wider in its scope than industrial economics in that it would be concerned not only with "industry" but also businesses in the service sector. Economics for business looks at the major principles of economics but focuses on applying these economic principles to the real world of business. [4] Managerial economics is the application of economic methods in the managerial decision-making process. [5]
Business economics is actually the part of economics which can be simply regarded as the combination of economic theories and the relevant theories related to business management. Business economics is the study to focus on how economic theories will be affected by the performance of business or business activities in practice. There are many practical case studies that have used the economic theories in the corporate development. [6] For example, the product life cycle theory has discussed the entire product life cycle based on the economic perspective, which can be categorized by introduction, growth, maturity and decline. Apple Inc. is a multinational technological company that focuses on the electronic products’ designs and development as well as software development. IPhone is the company’s one of the competitive advantages that generate massive profit for the company. However, since smartphone product has moved to stages between maturity and decline, Apple Inc. has also considered the new product research development such as electric vehicles as the competitive environment in smartphone market becomes fierce and profit margin has declined. The example has well explained the scenario where economic theories do help to support the decision-making in the practical business organisation.
However, Andrei [7] alludes to the fact that although economic theories could provide the theoretical perception to explain the business context, it could be still hard for managers to make an accurate business decision in the organisational management as the economic theories are built on some certain assumptions in the modelling environment, but in the practical business environment is much complex and hard to predict. The economic theory consideration does not mean the business decision will be always accurate. Hence, in the practical business environment, managers should not only consider the application of economic theories but also concern internal and external factors in the organisations before the decision making.
Interpretations from various universities
Many universities offer courses in business economics and offer a range of interpretations as to the meaning of the word. [8] The Bachelor of Business Economics (BBE) Program at University of Delhi is designed to meet the growing need for an analytical and quantitative approach to problem solving in the changing corporate world by the application of the latest techniques evolved in the fields of economics and business. [9] The Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), the Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNa) and the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) developed an official Master of Science in Management, Organization and Business Economics focused on management and business topics to train professionals in the study of organizations, on a conceptual and quantitative basis. To achieve this, advanced analysis tools are used from the fields of Neoclassical economics, New institutional economics, Statistics, Econometrics and Operations research. This focus is complemented with contributing ideas and theories to develop the necessary instruments to facilitate the management of sophisticated and complex organizations. [10]
The program at Harvard University uses economic methods to analyze practical aspects of business, including business administration, management, and related fields of business economics. [11] The Universidad del Desarrollo, in Chile follows on Harvard University definition, adding entrepreurnship as a field of business. The University of Miami defines business economics as involving the study of how we use our resources for the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. This requires business economists to analyze social institutions, banks, the stock market, the government and their relationships with labor negotiations, taxes, international trade, and urban and environmental issues. [12]
Courses at the University of Manchester interpret business economics to be concerned with the economic analysis of how businesses contribute to welfare of society rather than on the welfare of an individual or a business. This is done via an examination of the relationship between ownership, control and firm objectives; theories of the growth of the firm; the behavioural theory of the firm; theories of entrepreneurship; the factors that influence the structure, conduct and performance of business at the industry level. [13]
Italian universities borrow their concept of business economics from the tradition of Gino Zappa, for example a standard course [14] at the Politecnico di Milano involves studying corporate governance, accounting, investment analysis, budgeting and business strategy.
La Trobe University of Melbourne, Australia associates business economics with the process of demand, supply and equilibrium coordinating the behaviour of individuals and businesses in the market. Also, business economics extends to government policy, economic variables and international factors which influence business and competition.
Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and discipline of money, currency, assets and liabilities. As a subject of study, it is related to but distinct from economics, which is the study of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Based on the scope of financial activities in financial systems, the discipline can be divided into personal, corporate, and public finance.
Management science is a wide and interdisciplinary study of solving complex problems and making strategic decisions as it pertains to institutions, corporations, governments and other types of organizational entities. It is closely related to management, economics, business, engineering, management consulting, and other fields. It uses various scientific research-based principles, strategies, and analytical methods including mathematical modeling, statistics and numerical algorithms and aims to improve an organization's ability to enact rational and accurate management decisions by arriving at optimal or near optimal solutions to complex decision problems.
In economics, industrial organization is a field that builds on the theory of the firm by examining the structure of firms and markets. Industrial organization adds real-world complications to the perfectly competitive model, complications such as transaction costs, limited information, and barriers to entry of new firms that may be associated with imperfect competition. It analyzes determinants of firm and market organization and behavior on a continuum between competition and monopoly, including from government actions.
Sustainable management takes the concepts from sustainability and synthesizes them with the concepts of management. Sustainability has three branches: the environment, the needs of present and future generations, and the economy. Using these branches, it creates the ability of a system to thrive by maintaining economic viability and also nourishing the needs of the present and future generations by limiting resource depletion.
In the field of management, strategic management involves the formulation and implementation of the major goals and initiatives taken by an organization's managers on behalf of stakeholders, based on consideration of resources and an assessment of the internal and external environments in which the organization operates. Strategic management provides overall direction to an enterprise and involves specifying the organization's objectives, developing policies and plans to achieve those objectives, and then allocating resources to implement the plans. Academics and practicing managers have developed numerous models and frameworks to assist in strategic decision-making in the context of complex environments and competitive dynamics. Strategic management is not static in nature; the models can include a feedback loop to monitor execution and to inform the next round of planning.
In business, a competitive advantage is an attribute that allows an organization to outperform its competitors.
Managerial economics is a branch of economics involving the application of economic methods in the organizational decision-making process. Economics is the study of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Managerial economics involves the use of economic theories and principles to make decisions regarding the allocation of scarce resources. It guides managers in making decisions relating to the company's customers, competitors, suppliers, and internal operations.
Organizational behavior or organisational behaviour is the "study of human behavior in organizational settings, the interface between human behavior and the organization, and the organization itself". Organizational behavioral research can be categorized in at least three ways:
The theory of the firm consists of a number of economic theories that explain and predict the nature of the firm, company, or corporation, including its existence, behaviour, structure, and relationship to the market. Firms are key drivers in economics, providing goods and services in return for monetary payments and rewards. Organisational structure, incentives, employee productivity, and information all influence the successful operation of a firm in the economy and within itself. As such major economic theories such as transaction cost theory, managerial economics and behavioural theory of the firm will allow for an in-depth analysis on various firm and management types.
Articles in economics journals are usually classified according to JEL classification codes, which derive from the Journal of Economic Literature. The JEL is published quarterly by the American Economic Association (AEA) and contains survey articles and information on recently published books and dissertations. The AEA maintains EconLit, a searchable data base of citations for articles, books, reviews, dissertations, and working papers classified by JEL codes for the years from 1969. A recent addition to EconLit is indexing of economics journal articles from 1886 to 1968 parallel to the print series Index of Economic Articles.
Design management is a field of inquiry that uses design, strategy, project management and supply chain techniques to control a creative process, support a culture of creativity, and build a structure and organization for design. The objective of design management is to develop and maintain an efficient business environment in which an organization can achieve its strategic and mission goals through design. Design management is a comprehensive activity at all levels of business, from the discovery phase to the execution phase. "Simply put, design management is the business side of design. Design management encompasses the ongoing processes, business decisions, and strategies that enable innovation and create effectively-designed products, services, communications, environments, and brands that enhance our quality of life and provide organizational success." The discipline of design management overlaps with marketing management, operations management, and strategic management.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to business management:
Managerialism is the idea that professional managers should run organizations in line with organizational routines which produce controllable and measurable results. It applies the procedures of running a for-profit business to any organization, with an emphasis on control, accountability, measurement, strategic planning and the micromanagement of staff.
In organizational theory, dynamic capability is the capability of an organization to purposefully adapt an organization's resource base. The concept was defined by David Teece, Gary Pisano and Amy Shuen, in their 1997 paper Dynamic Capabilities and Strategic Management, as the firm’s ability to engage in adapting, integrating, and reconfiguring internal and external organizational skills, resources, and functional competences to match the requirements of a changing environment.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to economics:
Economics of participation is an umbrella term spanning the economic analysis of worker cooperatives, labor-managed firms, profit sharing, gain sharing, employee ownership, employee stock ownership plans, works councils, codetermination, and other mechanisms which employees use to participate in their firm's decision making and financial results.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to social science:
A Bachelor of Management or a Bachelor of Management Studies is an undergraduate degree program offered by numerous universities worldwide. This program equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to assume managerial roles in a variety of organizations. It provides a solid foundation in organizational behavior and human resource management, while also allowing students to specialize in specific areas of interest through elective courses such as labor-management relations, negotiation, leadership, conflict resolution, compensation systems, and organizational development. Additionally, this degree program provides insights into how organizations function, how they are managed, and their interactions with object-oriented programming using C++ and data structures in both national and international environments.
Traditionally, market orientation (MO) focuses on microenvironment and the functional management of an organisation. However, contemporary organisations have widened their focus to incorporate more roles, functions and emphasis on the macro environment. Firms have been concerned with short run success and often not taken into account the long-run ecological, social and economic effects from their activities. Despite growth in the MO concept, there is still a need to reconceptualise the concept with a greater emphasis on external factors that influence a firm.
Richard Earl Caves was an American economist and professor of economics at Harvard University. He is known for his work on multinational corporations, industrial organization and the creative industries. He is known within the film economics field as the author of a definitive book on the organization of creative industries. His framework for competition policy of "Structure, Conduct, Performance" was for many years the standard approach in industrial organization.
