The Economics of Education: Human Capital and Policy Debates
1. Education and the Economy
Education is an investment in human capital, which increases productivity, income, and economic growth.
Economists use models and data to simplify reality. As highlighted by Borges (“On Exactitude in Science”), attempting to copy reality perfectly renders the model useless; models simplify to explain complex phenomena.
Education functions as both a private good (benefiting the individual) and a public good (benefiting society).
Students act as both consumers (choosing
Read MoreStrategic SCM, Logistics, and Inventory Management Principles
Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Logistics Operations
Defining Supply Chain Management (SCM)
SCM involves the end-to-end coordination and integration of all activities involved in sourcing, procurement, production, and logistics. It aims to maximize value to the customer while achieving a sustainable competitive advantage.
- Objective: Deliver the right product, in the right quantity, at the right time, to the right place, at the lowest cost.
- Scope: Includes suppliers, manufacturers, logistics providers,
Organizational Decline Models and Bottom-Up Design Methodology
Organizational Decline and Organizational Death
Organizational Decline is the stage in the life cycle where an organization fails to anticipate, recognize, avoid, neutralize, or adapt to internal or external pressures that threaten its long-term survival. When the company generates few profits and makes too many investments, executives may decide to sell its assets or shut it down.
Greiner’s Model: Crises and Hindrances to Growth
Each growth stage is followed by a crisis. Further growth may be hindered
Read MoreEconomic Alternatives: Market Systems Without Capitalism
Designing a Non-Capitalist Market Economy
Yes, it is possible to imagine a market economy that is not capitalist, although implementing it in practice poses a complex challenge. To answer this properly, it is important to distinguish between market economy and capitalism—terms often confused but not synonymous.
Market Economy vs. Capitalism: Key Distinctions
- Market Economy: Based on the free interaction between supply and demand, where prices are set by the market and economic agents operate with
Cognitive Biases and Organizational Culture in Project Management
Wardan Hawa
Cognitive Biases Affecting Project Timelines
Student Syndrome (Ariely, 2008)
This describes the tendency for individuals (often students) to succumb to temptation and only begin work when the deadline is imminent, often leading to the invention of excuses.
The Planning Fallacy: Optimism vs. Experience
The Planning Fallacy (Buehler et al., 1997) suggests that optimism often trumps past experience. Examples include:
- Students who believed they would finish their work on time often fell behind.
Working Capital Management and Fixed Asset Depreciation
Depreciation of Fixed Assets
Annual Depreciation of Fixed Assets
It reflects the annual depreciation for fixed assets, accounting for their reduction in value due to use in the production process. This is recorded as an Expenditure.
Accumulated Depreciation of Fixed Assets
This collects the accumulated depreciation made annually for all elements of fixed assets (or non-current assets) suffering depreciation since their acquisition. It functions as a contra-asset account, meaning it is active but carries
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