All organizations, institutions, business processes, markets and strategies have one aim in common: the reduction of transaction costs. This aim is pursued relentlessly in practice, and has been perceived to bring about drastic changes, especially in the recent global market and the cyber economy. This book analyzes and describes “transactions” as a model, on the basis of which organizations, institutions and business processes can be appropriately shaped. It tracks transaction costs to enable a scientific approach instead of a widely used “state-of-the-art” approach, working to bridge the gap between theory and practice. This open access book analyzes and describes “transactions” as a model...

Transaction cost economics has and continues to be a fruitful area of research. There is still much to be done in the field with past research being used in conjunction with the vast number of contractual phenomena that have yet to be investigated in transaction cost economics terms. New challenges are posed by the need to move beyond the design of new contractual instruments (such as financial derivatives) to include an examination of the lurking hazards that attend contract implementation.

This timely book presents practical applications of modern economic theories to trade, transaction costs and institutions within both business and governmental realms. Frank A.G. den Butter explains the importance and means of keeping transaction costs as low as possible. He illustrates how this transaction management can contribute to making firms and nations more competitive by exploiting gains from the division of labour and international fragmentation of production, and uses relevant case studies to illustrate how value is created by reducing transaction costs. Policy recommendations for strengthening the competitive position of trading nations and reducing implementation costs of government policy are presented, and management methods for creating value in organizing production on a global scale are prescribed. A wide-ranging audience encompassing economists in academia, government and business; managers in industry and government; and students of economics, business and globalization will find this book to be a crucial reference tool.

Transaction cost economics began to take shape around 1970 and has since been established as an essential tool used to illuminate a wide range of problems in economics and other social sciences. This reader presents articles which together form the foundations of research in transaction cost economics.

Adopting a critical realist position, this book renders transaction cost economics (TCE) into a behavioral theory of organizational decision-making by foregrounding psychological processes and introducing and integrating with effectuation theory. Consistent with its behavioral agenda, the book introduces the concept of uncertainty controllability and provides a clearer conceptualization and a novel modeling strategy of bounded rationality based on the conceptual separation of cognitive bounds from psychological ‘rationalizing.’ The book inspires new insights into the significance of cultural distance (CD). Based on the understanding that culture is socially-extended cognition, the author re-conceptualizes CD as reflecting cognitive bounds, and uses the biases arising from CD to contextualize effectuation and deepen the flat ontology of both TCE and effectuation theory. The book presents a full two-sided behavioral framework of organizational decision-making, with behavioral TCE and behavioral real options theory complementing each other to complete the full behavioral picture. Both sides are further linked to organizational learning, which reduces biases over time and thus drives governance structures toward more rational directions. The full framework uses prospect theory as the overarching theory that determines which side of the behavioral framework is relevant for the uncertainty of concern based on the different problem frames resulting from different degrees of uncertainty controllability. Because effectuation can take place on both sides of the framework based on competing risk logics, prospect theory serves to harmonize inconsistencies in the effectuation literature as a side note. This book applies the behavioral TCE side of the framework to the study of MNC subsidiary ownership decision-making process using a dataset of over 10,000 Japanese subsidiaries founded in 43 host countries. It concludes with a discussion of implications and future directions for TCE in general and international business in particular.

'Not too long ago it was possible to be familiar with all of the important works and latest developments in transaction cost economics. That that is no longer the case is a testament to the intellectual appeal and empirical success of the transaction cost approach. for newcomers, the entries in this volume, by some of TCE's most knowledgeable and eloquent contributors, offer an excellent introduction to the issues, methods, discoveries, and debates in the field; for veterans, the volume provides a highly valuable resource for catching up on the newest research.' - Scott E. Masten, University of Michigan School of Business, US

As today’s world develops and evolves, so does its economics. New economic approaches have begun to emerge, but traditional methods are still being implemented. As both systems provide different solutions to society’s economic issues, thoughtful research and analysis is required regarding the tactics and strategies that both theories utilize. Comparative Approaches to Old and New Institutional Economics is an essential reference source that discusses the sequential history of these two economic theories as well as their application to global fiscal disputes. Featuring research on topics such as international relations, business management, and institutionalism, this book is ideally designed for economists, analysts, managers, researchers, practitioners, academicians, and students seeking coverage on the parallel methods of these economic philosophies.

The book is the first monograph on this highly important subject.

In recent years transaction cost economics have come to dominate the discussion of the nature and organization of firms. In Transaction Costs Economics and Beyond Michael Dietrich offers a critical exploration of transaction costs. He argues that whilst they have much to offer, they are still an inadequate basis for a general theory of the firm. Drawing on theories of organizational behaviour as well as economics, he concludes by offering a theory of the firm that allows for both hierarchical and creative decision making.

Outsourcing has become an increasingly important issue for many organisations. This book provides a framework for an up-to-date understanding of the outsourcing process and the key issues associated with it. It integrates a number of contemporary topics including benchmarking, buyer-supplier relationships, organisational behaviour, competitor analysis, and technology influences. The analysis draws upon both empirical research and real case studies. The author starts by providing guidelines as to when outsourcing is appropriate and what its implications will be, before moving on to explain how outsourcing is implemented. The benefits of both successful outsourcing and the risks and consequences of outsourcing failure are outlined. The book is ideal for use by postgraduate students studying the area of outsourcing. It would also benefit industry managers who are considering outsourcing or who already have outsourcing programmes in place.