Course 2003-2004 a.y.

Introduction to the course:

The course is divided in three parts.
A first part studies the macroeconomics of industrial relations, and focuses its attention on labour economics outside the firm. It studies labour demand, labour supply and surveys the labour market institutions in Europe, with particular emphasis on the bargaining structure and the role of unions.
The second part studies personnel economics, the microeconomic approach to personnel issues inside the firm, and shows how economic analysis can be successfully applied to the study of personnel issues.
The third part of this course concentrates on the management of people in organizations. For that, the course takes a managerial perspective to understanding human behavior in organizational settings and utilizing human resources to drive the organization to attain its goals.

Course Content :

Part I: Macroeconomics of Industrial Relations (Pietro Garibaldi)

1. How the Labour Market Operates  
2. The Demand for Labour 
3. Labour Supply: the decision to work 
4. Labour Supply: Hours of Work and Household Production  
5. Unions, collective bargaining, insiders and outsiders 
6. Unemployment: Stock and Flows in the Labour Market 

Part II: Personnel Economics (microeconomic approach to personnel issues) (Pietro Garibaldi)

1. A Primer on Incentive Theory
2. Signaling Games and Workers' Selection 
3. How can we observe individual productivity? 
4. The Trade-off between hourly compensation and output based compensation 
5. Career and Seniority Incentives
6. On the job training 

7. The role of fringe benefits 

Part III: Managing Human Behavior in Organizations (Martin Hoegl)

1. Managing Human Behavior in Organizations: Historical roots and current challenges 
2. Human Motivation in Organizations 
3. Performance and Rewards 
4. Job Characteristics and Job Design 
5. Goal Setting and Performance Feedback in Organizations 
6. Managing Teams 
7. Leadership in Organizations 
8. Decision Making in Organizations 
9. Organizational Culture and Change 
   

Textbooks:

Part I

• R.G. EHRENBERG, R.S. SMITH, Modern Labour Economics, Addison Wesley, 7th ed.

Part II

• E. LAZEAR, Personnel Economics for Managers, New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1998. 

Part III 

• MOORHEAD & GRIFFIN, Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations, Houghton Mifflin Company, 6th ed., 2001

For further and continuously updated information consult the IEP web site or contact SID - Servizio Informazioni Didattica - Via Gobbi, 5 - 3rd floor.

Examinations:

The exam will be in written form. There will be a mid term exam.