Writing a corporate memo

aje on November 21, 2021

Business school students often produce exams or other written assignments in an essay style, but in most business situations a memo format is more appropriate. The purpose of this post is to articulate what constitutes an effective memo so that we can replace bad academic writing with good business writing.

The main aim of a memo is to quickly inform the reader and explain any decision making. They should be easy to read and have a clear message.

The first few sentences should explain the purpose of the memo and any key background information. The use of bullets or numbered lists to split up the text and separate key points is often appropriate. Don’t be afraid to highlight important text. It’s a good idea to finish a memo with a call to action or some other type of positive ending.

We tend to think of memos as an antiquated document but many emails are de facto memos. In fact, I would argue that any email sent to multiple people should be treated as a memo – they are an important part of a manager’s toolkit!

From Scott Adams (source):

For a fascinating collection of corporate memos see https://sriramk.com/memos.

Macro Perspectives

aje on November 19, 2021

My Perspective on Macroeconomics workshop is split into two presentations:

  • Macro Trends – this provides an overview of the global economy and a discussion of current critical uncertainties.
  • Macro Models – this integrates ecological concerns wirth standard economics, providing an overview of how macroeconomists model the economy and how those methods and models relate to climate issues.

You can find the latest global growth forecasts from the institutions mentioned in the lecture here:

Some additional readings:

Some spinning donuts:

The three types of macro policy:

Be cautious about economic forecasts:

And recognise that industry shocks can be just as important as macro shocks:

Two lectures on methods:

Money and (central) banking

aje on October 23, 2021

Lecture handout: Money and central banking*
Lecture handout: Central banking and digital transformation*

Textbook Reading: Chapter 7 (Section 7.3; pp. 216-255)

Learning Objectives: Understand the origins of money. 

Cutting edge theory: Making assessments of digital and crypto currencies.

Problem Solving and Decision Making

aje on October 19, 2021

How can I improve my team effectiveness when facing complex business problems?

A 2-3 day course that leads participants through the 7 key stages of finding a solution using practical examples and plenty of team work.

Problem Solving and Decision Making is an intensive managerial programme that has been shown to be an enjoyable and successful way to improve team performance and productivity. The course provides practical skills and a management mindset rather than simply transfer knowledge. Participants are taken through the full problem-solving and decision-making cycle: from breaking down the issue, to prioritising and writing the action plan. They also practice communicating their proposal, an important and often overlooked aspect of the decision-making process. The course focuses mostly on experiential, proactive and practical learning: participants engage in individual and team problem-solving and decision-making, and receive constructive feedback to build on personal strengths and address limitations.

 

Resources:

For more on the Pyramid Principle:

For more content:

Talks

aje on October 7, 2021

I have presented at academic conferences such as the European Academy of Management, the Southern Economic Association, and the Association of Private Enterprise Education; and have given public talks at Cambridge University, Oxford University, and the London School of Economics.

I am currently developing the following exciting talks:

  • Macro Trends – this provides an overview of the global economy and a discussion of current critical uncertainties.
  • Macro Models – this integrates ecological concerns wirth standard economics, providing an overview of how macroeconomists model the economy and how those methods and models relate to climate issues.
  • The end of ideology – an overview of the great realignment in Western politics and the rise of authoritarian populism

I have also delivered the following lectures many times:

  • An Introduction to the Austrian School of Economics – the past, present and future of good economics
  • Competition and the market process – why the best form of regulation is competition
  • The financial crisis – a look at the incentive and knowledge problems that led to the credit crunch
  • Banking reform and sound money – a proposal to liberalise the banking system
  • Economic institutions and global prosperity – an overview of the economic policies that are crucial to prosperity
  • The transition experience in Eastern Europe – why radical reforms are necessary and the underappreciated role of the oligarchs

Jump to: conference presentations | workshop presentations | keynote speeches | invited talks

Conference presentations

“The Natural Rate of Interest: Estimates for the UK” Eastern Economic Association, New York (March 2019)

“A strategic plan for the East Belarus mechanical engineering cluster” Association for the Study of Nationalities, Columbia University, New York (May 2018) – not presented

“Ranking Belarus on Competitiveness and Economic Freedom” Association of Private Enterprise Education (APEE), Las Vegas (April 2018)

“Economic insights on capitalism, sanctions, and embezzlement: why privatisation matters” Association for the Study of Nationalities, Columbia University, New York (May 2017) – discussant

“Choose your own financial crisis” Chartered Association of Business Schools, Bristol (April 2017) – poster

“The Microfoundations of Austrian Economics Through a New Classical Theoretical Lens” Mont Pelerin Society, Miami (September 2016)

“The Hidden Inflation of the Great Moderation”, Association of Private Enterprise Education (APEE), Cancun (April 2015)

“Reflections on John Blundell” Association of Private Enterprise Education (APEE), Cancun (April 2015)

“The Goldilocks Measure of UK Monetary Aggregates: An Introduction to MA“, Southern Economic Association, Atlanta (November 2014)

“An Estimate of Gross Domestic Expenditure (GDE) for the UK“, Association of Private Enterprise Education (APEE), Las Vegas (March 2014)

“The (Quantity) Theory of Money and Credit”, Association of Private Enterprise Education (APEE), Maui (March 2013)

“Pedagogical synergies between Austrian Economics and the Case Method”, Association of Private Enterprise Education (APEE), Las Vegas (March 2012)

“Towards a Constitutional Theory of the Firm II” 9th Annual Conference, European Academy of Management (EURAM), Liverpool (May 2009)

“Towards a Constitutional Theory of the Firm” The Association of Private Enterprise Education (APEE), Guatemala City, Guatemala (April 2009)

“In Defence of Rational Ignorance: A Subjectivist’s Solution to Public Choice Excess” 78th Annual Meetings, Southern Economic Association, Washington DC (November 2008)

“Corporate Constitutionalism: Towards a Constitutional Theory of the Firm” 78th Annual Meetings, Southern Economic Association, Washington DC (November 2008)

“An Introduction to ‘Constitutional Management’” Association of Private Enterprise Education, Las Vegas, NV (April 2008) – presented by Nikolai Wenzel

“Austrian Economics Behind the Iron Curtain” Eastern Economic Association, Boston, MA (March 2008)

“Heterogeneous Entrepreneurs, the Monetary Footprint, and the Trade Cycle” 77th Annual Meetings, Southern Economic Association, New Orleans, LO (November 2007)

“A Nomos Model of Social Change: Where Human Action meets Cultural Theory” 76th Annual Meetings, Southern Economic Association, Charleston, SC (November 2006)

“The Diffusion of Economic Ideas in Europe: The Flat Tax (1994-2006)“ Third Annual Graduate Student Conference Idea Exchange: Mediums and Methods of Communication in Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia, Graduate Organization for the Study of Europe and Central Asia, University of Pittsburgh (February 2006)

“Ethnic Enterprise Governance“ Conference on Entrepreneurship Research, School of Management & School of Public Policy, George Mason University (November 2005)

 

Jump to: conference presentations | workshop presentations | keynote speeches | invited talks

Workshop presentations

“Getting the Measure of Money” University of Buckingham (March 2019)

“Choose your own financial crisis” University of Buckingham (January 2017)

“Choose your own financial crisis. A methodological defence of second person counterfactual scenarios”, Prague Conference on Political Economy, Prague (April 2016) – not presented

“Choose your own financial crisis“, PPE Workshop, George Mason University (September 2015)

“Individualism, subjectivism and time: An introduction to the theoretical foundations of the Austrian school“, Cambridge Society for Economic Pluralism (November 2014)

“The (Quantity) Theory of Money and Credit: Monetarism and von Mises” City University Economics Department Seminar, (November 2012)

“The Financial Crisis in the U.K.:  Uncertainty, Calculation, and Error ” CADI, Bucharest (June 2012)

“The role of ignorance in economic crises: The UK experience during the great recession” Cal State East Bay (November 2011)

“The Financial Crisis in the U.K.:  Uncertainty, Calculation, and Error”, Department of Economics Friday Workshop, San Jose State University (October 2011)

“A research agenda for applying Cultural Theory to corporate organizations” Leuven, Belgium (January 2011)

“Liquidity in the age of independence” ESCP-EAP Research Olympics, London (November 2008)

“Towards a Constitutional Theory of the Firm” ESCP-EAP Research Olympics, London (November 2008)

“In Defence of Rational Ignorance: A Subjectivist’s Solution to Public Choice Excess” Foundation for Economic Education, New York (September 2008)

“Towards a Corporate Cultural Theory II” Workshop on Cultural Theory and Management: A Conference held in memory of Prof. Dame Mary Douglas, ESCP-EAP London (July 2007)

“Recruitment Presentation” ESCP-EAP European School of Management, Paris (September 2007)

“Towards a Corporate Cultural Theory” Conference on Austrian Market-based Approaches to the Theory and Operation of a Business Firm, George Mason Law School (May 2007)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jump to: conference presentations | workshop presentations | keynote speeches | invited talks

Keynote speeches

“Outlook: Which ways to better regulation?” Better Regulation conference, Geneva (September 2018)

“The Role of Competitiveness in Emerging Europe” Future proofing the Economy Forum, Zagreb (February 2017) [video highlights]

”How free markets can handle money” European Students for Liberty, Ljubljana (October 2016)

“Sound Money: An Austrian proposal for free banking, NGDP targets, and OMO reforms” Adam Smith Institute, London (February 2016)

“An Introduction to the Austrian School of Economics“, Libek and ESFL, Belgrade (January 2016)

“An Introduction to the Austrian School of Economics“, Regional Conference of ESFL Vienna (November 2015)

“How to think like an economist” Adam Smith Institute, London (April 2015)

“Austrian Economics for Start Ups: What Do Entrepreneurs Need to Know?” CADI, Bucharest (May 2015)

“Only Individuals Choose”, The Adam Smith Institute’s ‘Liberty Lectures’, Cass Business School, London (August 2012)

“An Introduction to the Austrian School of Economics”, Institute for Economic Affairs (August 2012)

“Why whistleblowing protection fails and what to do about it” Lucas Graduate School of Business, San Jose State University (October 2011)

“Whistleblowing and the knowledge problem”, College of Business, San Jose State University (September 2011)

“Why Market Monopolies are OK”, Civil Society Institute, Santa Clara University (September 2011)

“The problem with shock therapy is not enough volts: Why Russia needs more powerful oligarchs” David S. Saurman Provocative Lecture Series, San Jose State University (September 2011)

“Contemporary work in Austrian Economics” Adam Smith Institute, St Stephen’s Club, London (September 2010) [event details, audio here]

“Banking, inflation and recessions” The Adam Smith Institute’s ‘Liberty Lectures’, Cass Business School, London (August 2010) [event details]

“Booms, busts and crashes: What Austrian economics tells us about the crash of 2008” Institute of Economic Affairs, London (July 2010) [event details]

“Banking, Honest Money and the Free Market: Prospects” Libertarian Alliance Annual Conference, London (October 2009) [see video here]

“Globalisation after the Crash” Institute of Economic Affairs, London (June 30th 2009) – panellist

“Advice for an international business education” Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, India (October 2008)

Jump to: conference presentations | workshop presentations | keynotes speeche | invited talks

Invited talks

“The Economics of Football“, BIM Open Day, ESCP Business School, London (April 2021)

“Reflections and Advice on Higher Education” CASE Belarus, Minsk (June 2018)

“The Importance of Austrian Economics for Central Banks” Bank of England (July 2017)

“How I teach” Brian’s Last Friday Talks, London (January 2017)

“The link between economic institutions and global prosperity”, Legatum Institute (July 2016)

“Free market monetary theory and practice”, Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2016)

“Why you should love price discrimination!“, Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2016)

“Hayek and Friedman in Chile”, Brian’s Last Friday Talks, London (June 2016)

“Is there a libertarian case for QE?” Libertarian Alliance, London (June 2016)

“An Introduction to the Austrian School of Economics”, UCLU Libertarian Society, London (February 2016)

“Free market monetary theory and practice” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2015)

“Competition and the market process” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2015)

“Free market monetary theory and policy” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2014)

“Competition and the market process” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2014)

“Individuals Actions: An Austrian Economics School”, University of Essex Liberty League & Post-Crash Economics Society Essex (April 2014)

“Monetary laissez-faire” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2013)

“Competition and monopoly” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2013)

“We had it coming: Introduction to Austrian Economics” FEE Webinar (April 2013)

“Establishing the Facts about Austerity” ESCP Europe Research Retreat (August 2012)

“The financial crisis” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2012)

“Competition and monopoly” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2012)

“An Introduction to the Austrian School of Economics” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2012)

“We Had it Coming – An Introduction to Austrian Economics” University of Manchester (March 2012)

“An introduction to the Austrian school of economics” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2011)

“The financial crisis” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2011)

“Competition and monopoly” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2011)

“The second revival in Austrian Economics: why the future of good economics is Austrian” Oxford Libertarian Society, Christ Church Oxford (February 2011)

“A Proposal for Sound Money” Libertarian Alliance, London (November 2010) [video here]

“Thoughts on the US Economy: September 2010” Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation (September 2010)

“Competition and Monopoly” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2010)

“The Financial Crisis” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2010)

“The Investment Climate of Transition: Shock Therapy in Eastern Europe” LSE Investment Society (February 2010)

“Honest Money in a Free Society” Libertarian Alliance, Shepherd’s Private Room, Westminster (July 2009)

“Competition and Monopoly” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2009)

“The Financial Crisis” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2009)

“Austrian Insights into the Current Economic Crisis – What Might have Been?” University of Oxford Libertarian Society, Christ Church, University of Oxford (February 2009)

“Some stylised facts about Eastern European transition” University College London (November 2008)

“Transition economies: lessons for classical liberals” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2008)

“Comparative Methodology and the Diffusion of Ideas” Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge (October 2007)

“Competition and the Market Process” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2007)

“Collective Goods Problems” Freedom Week Seminar, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (July 2007)

“Do Ideas Matter?” Hayek Society, London School of Economics (November 2006)

I’ve also rejected invitations to debate at the Cambridge Union Society, and Lancaster Debating Union

Opinion

aje on October 7, 2021

I used to write a weekly column for City AM and have published a number of opinion editorials, most regularly for The Guardian and Reuters.

I have appeared on the BBC and been quoted by The Financial Times, The Times, Monde Des Grandes Ecoles et Universities, and a range of other publications.

For media coverage of my policy work see here.

Opinion editorials

“Monetary policy is outdated. Here’s how to reboot it” Daily Telegraph, February 15th 2018

“The time is right for sound money” Conservative Home, January 11th 2016

“Ekonomiju ne treba promatrati isključivo kroz prizmu BDP-a” Poslovni dnevik, January 31st 2013

“Makro pokazatelji kao viktorijanski kupaći kostimi” Lider, Feb 27th 2012

“Forward thinking” Money Marketing, May 26th 2011

“Three principles that should underpin the Budget“, The Spectator Coffee House Blog, March 22nd 2011

“No sympathy for Ponzi SMEs” Business Review Europe, August 10th 2010

“From one uncertainty to another” Reuters, June 18th 2010

“How to thaw the economy” Reuters, March 16th 2010

“Economic Insight” (.pdf), Business XL, 2010

“Leader” (.pdf), Employee Engagement Today, Spring 2010

“Has quantitative easing paid off?” Guardian Unlimited, February 16th 2010

“The end of free email” Guardian Unlimited, January 23rd 2010

“Politicians should allow a business-led recovery” Reuters, December 1st 2009

“Don’t regulate banking – liberalise it” Guardian Unlimited, September 14th 2009

“No need to panic about GDP” Guardian Unlimited, July 24th 2009

“Why G20 leaders should leave well alone” FinanceWeek, April 2nd 2009

“The unpalatable financial truth” Guardian Unlimited, March 22nd 2009

“The semantics of printing money” Guardian Unlimited, March 7th 2009

“The banks couldn’t contain dissent” Guardian Unlimited, February 14th 2009

“The price of economic illiteracy” Guardian Unlimited, November 2nd 2008

The Economist

Freedom Week mentioned by The Economist, June 1st 2013

SMPC minutes linked to by The Economist, March 19th 2013

Blogs that matter

Money Illusion | Marginal Revolution | Economics UK

Interviews

Interview with Lider, September 2019

Interview with Libek, January 28th 2016

Broadcast interviews & commentary

Rejected invitation feature on In the Balance, BBC World Service, July 22nd 2014

Rejected invitation to be interviewed on Jeff Randall Live, Sky News, October 8th 2012

Interviewed by Cobden Centre Radio, November 2010

Participant in a debate on Quantitative Easing, BBC World Service, September 2009

Interviewed for report on US recession, Newsnight, BBC Television, March 16th 2009

Regular panellist discussing the UK economy, The Breakfast Club, News Talk 93FM, Jamaica, October 2008 – April 2010

Print interviews & commentary

tele

Quoted in “Bragging rights: Economists flummoxed by popstar’s Bank of England lecture” by Oliver Gill, City AM, April 19th 2018

Quoted in “Government Interference Has Damaged The Bank Of England For Future Mark Carneys“, Finance Monthly, November 2016

Cited in “Don’t be fooled: interest rates have been changing since the crisis“, by Pete Spence, The Telegraph, March 1st 2015

Cited in “Is this a booming economy, or a credit-driven bubble?“, by Douglas Carswell, The Telegraph, December 11th 2013

Quoted in “Ferguson and Moyes: A Lesson for the Berlin Phil” The Gramophone Blog, May 10th 2013

Interview in “Radnike treba intenzivno uključiti u proces odlučivanja“, Poslovni dnevik, February 4th 2013

mbm

Quoted in “Economic policy revived on the internet“, Financial Times, January 27th 2013

Quoted in “Is UK economy adopting to touch ‘new normal”? The Times, March 29th 2012

Quoted in “To QE or not to QE? The market has spoken” Management Today, January 12th 2012

Interview in “Anthony J. Evans (Escp) e il depennamento della rete del debito pubblico estero in Europa” GreenReport.it, August 10th 2011

Quoted in “China’s economy looks to be on shaky ground” City AM, July 12th 2011

Quoted in “Tax Chaos to Hit Millions” The Daily Express, March 1st 2011 [front page of print edition]

Interview in “Europe is your Oyster” Gateway, Issue 26 (February 2011)

Quoted in “McChrystal critical of Obama” The Edge, July 2010

Quoted in “Eastern bloc renews bid to become high tech hub” Information Age, July 13th 2010

Quoted in “Let the unusual guide you off the beaten track” The Times, February 1st 2010

Quoted in “Pay and pensions to be targeted in public-sector spending cuts” HR Resources, December 9th 2009

Quoted in “Pledge to upskill the young and equip the over-50s to find work” HR Resources, December 9th 2009

Quoted in “UK economy performs worse than expected this quarter” Accounting Web, July 24th 2009

Comments for “Judgment Call” column, Financial Times, April 29th 2009

Quoted in “MBA examiners call in the FBI in crackdown on cheats”, by Des Dearlove, The Times, November 16, 2008

Interview on the Romanian Flat Tax in Saptamana Financiara, Number 170, Monday 4th August 2008

Comments on the London Congestion Charge, featured in Info: Magazine of the French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain Vol. 29 No.3, May-June 2007

Internet articles

“Don’t conflate ‘neoliberalism’ with ‘neoclassical economics‘” Institute of Economic Affairs Blog (August 2015)

“Forward guidance takes monetary policy even further down the wrong track“, Institute of Economic Affairs Blog (August 2013)

“Monetarists’ blind spot on quantitative easing” Institute of Economic Affairs Blog (March 2011)

“The Threat of QE2” Adam Smith Institute, November 2010

“What Austrian business cycle theory does and does not claim as true” Institute of Economic Affairs Blog (May 2010)

“Ostrom on institutions: complex solutions can spontaneously emerge” Institute of Economic Affairs Blog (Oct 2009)

“Austrian economics vs Keynesianism and Kaletsky” Institute of Economic Affairs Blog (May 2009)

“What Can We Learn From E-Stonia?“, Ideal Government (Oct 2005)

“Petty Crime“, Ideal Government (Sep 2005)

“Common Law Marriage“, Ideal Government (Apr 2005)

Other coverage

“Les etudiants du bachelor de ESCP Europe sont les managers multiculturels du futur” Monde des Grandes Ecoles et Universities, December 8th 2016

Policy

aje on October 7, 2021

I have contributed to a number of policy debates and have received notable coverage in the following areas:

  • Competitiveness and entrepreneurship policy
  • Flat taxes, corporation tax and public finance
  • NGDP targets and free banking

My work on nuclear energy, and the potential role of SMR’s for Croatia, was covered by Open Access Government. And my advice on competitiveness was presented in a joint conference with the Minister of Finance.

My call for the Bank of England to abolish the Monetary Policy Committee was covered on the front page of the The Daily Telegraph and City AM and prompted an invitation to give a guest lecture to the Bank’s staff. I provided a comprehensive proposal for the UK to adopt nominal GDP targeting and it was covered by Forbes, CNBC, Bloomberg, Moneyweek, and discussed on Bloomberg TV.

I served on the 2020 Tax Commission which advocated a single income tax, and won the 2013 Templeton Freedom Award. My back of the envelope calculations on the counter intuitive idea that corporation tax harms workers was featured on Page 3 of The Sun, and contributed to the fact that from 2012-2017 the UK government cut it from 28% to 19%. This coincided with revenues rising by 44%.

“Harnessing nuclear power to meet Croatia’s energy needs” Energy Management Centre Working Paper No. 32, July 2020

  • Submitted to the lead project coordinator for the International Atomic Energy Agency Technical Cooperation Project RER2017, July 2020 (for some background see here).
  • Covered by Open Access Government, January 22nd 2021 (see here)

“A Belarus Monetary Perspective” Markets and Money Advisory, March 2018

“Monetary Policy After the Crash” Adam Smith Institute, February 2018

“Sound Money: An Austrian proposal for free banking, NGDP targets, and OMO reforms” Adam Smith Institute, 2016

“In Search of Austerity: An Analysis of the British Situation” Mercatus Center, October 2012

“The Single Income Tax” 2020 Tax Commission, May 2012 [I served as a commissioner]

  • Winner of the 2013 Templeton Freedom Award
  • “Business backs single income tax rate of 30%”, Financial Times
  • “Boost growth with 30pc flat rate, Osborne told”, Daily Telegraph
  • “Plan for 30% levy and end of stamp duty; The single tax rate”, The Times
  • “Tax shake-up urged to empower consumers and kick-start growth”, The Independent
  • “The Tax Reform Britain Needs”, Wall Street Journal Europe
  • “Calls for single 30% tax rate”, Daily Mail
  • “Tax cuts ‘booster'”, The Sun
  • “Demand for tax shake-up to aid recovery”, Sunday Express
  • Also covered by Sky News, BBC Two’s Daily Politics, BBC News Channel, ITV News.

“Corporation Tax” 2020 Tax Commission Briefing Note, April 2011

  • Also covered on Page 3
  • Impact: in 2008 the rate of corporation tax was 28%. In 2011 successive UK governments started to reduce it, firstly to 26% and then to 24% in 2012, 23% in 2013, 21% in 2014, 20% in 2015, and 19% in 2017. During this period tax revenue rose by 44%. The experience during the 2010s is that lower rates coincided with higher revenues. See here for more.

“Public Attitudes to Banking” The Cobden Centre, June 2010

“2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months: A proposal for sound money” The Cobden Centre, June 2010

“Enterprising Britain: Building the enterprise capital of the world” (with Davide Sola and Adina Poenaru), independent report for the Conservative Party, February 2008

See the interim report, published in October 2007, here.

“Are Tesco Acting Competitively?” (with Toby Baxendale), submitted to the Competition Commission, December 2007 [Groceries Market – Third Party Submissions]

“Sharpening the Thinking on the UK Audit Industry”, submitted to the Financial Reporting Council, May 2006 [Responses to Discussion Papers]

Articles

aje on October 7, 2021

2020 “The upper turning point in the Austrian business cycle theory” Review of Austrian Economics, (with Nicolas Cachanosky & Robert Thorpe)

2020 “The Natural Rate of Interest: Estimates for the UK“, Economic Affairs, Vol 40, Issue 1., pp. 24-35 [spreadsheet]

2019 “Ranking Belarus on Competitiveness and Economic Freedom” Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, (with Sierz Naurodski), Vol 8, No. 2., pp.226-240

2018 “A strategic plan for the East Belarus mechanical engineering cluster” International Journal of Competitiveness Vol. 1, No. 3 (with Terence Tse)

2017 “Monetary Ratios in a Modern Regime: Why the Monetary Base still Matters” Economics Affairs, 37, No. 1, pp.102-111 | Data

2016 “A dynamic AD-AS analysis of the UK economy 2002-2010”, Journal of Private Enterprise, Vol. 31, No. 4, pp.97-105

2016 “The Great EU Debt Write-Off” (with Terence Tse and Jeremy Baker), Simulation and Gaming, Vol. 47, No. 4, pp.543-556

2016 “The Microfoundations of Austrian Economics through a New Classical Theoretical Lens” (with Paul Dragos Aligica), Review of Political Economy, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp.113-133

2016 “The unintended consequences of easy money: How access to finance impedes entrepreneurship”, Review of Austrian Economics, Vol. 29, No. 3, pp.233-252

*2015 “What is the Latin for ‘Mayonnaise’? A Response to Bagus, Howden and Gabriel”, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 131, Issue 3, pp. 619-623

2014 “Contemporary Work in Austrian Economics” (with Vlad Tarko) Journal of Private Enterprise, Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 135-157

2014 “Not enough bricks: Monetary misperceptions and the UK housing boom” Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp.19-45

2014 “A subjectivist’s solution to the limits of public choice”, Review of Austrian Economics, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp.23-44

*2014 “In Defence of ‘Demand’ Deposits: Contractual Solutions to the Barnett and Block, and Bagus and Howden Debate”, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 124, No. 2, pp. 351-364

2013 “The (quantity) theory of money and credit” (with Robert Thorpe), Review of Austrian Economics, Vol.26, No.4, pp.463-481

2013 “Balancing corporate culture: Grid-group and Austrian economics”, Review of Austrian Economics, Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 297-309

2013 “A framework for the study of firms as constitutional orders” (with Nikolai G. Wenzel) Constitutional Political Economy, Vol. 24, No.1, pp.2-18

2012 “Pedagogical Synergies between Austrian Economics and the Case Method” Journal of Private Enterprise, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp.91-103

2012 “Heterogeneous entrepreneurship and the Sunday Times Rich List” (with Toby Baxendale) Procesos de Mercado, Vol. 9, No.1, pp.411-428

2012 “On not doing due diligence: Bagus and Howden on free banking” (with Steven Horwitz) Review of Austrian Economics, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp.149-157

2012 “Ethnic enterprise governance: a public choice analysis of Liverpool’s Chinatown” Journal of Enterprising Communities, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp.28-38

*2011 “”Search” vs “browse”: A theory of error grounded in radical (not rational) ignorance” (with Jeffrey Friedman), Critical Review, Vol. 23, Issue 1-2, pp.73-104

2010 “A Nomos Approach to Social Change: Where Human Action Meets Cultural Theory” New Perspectives on Political Economy, Vol 6., No. 2, pp.51-77

2010 “The Parallels Between Sports Coaching and Graduate Teaching: Coach Boettke as Exemplar” Journal of Private Enterprise, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp.73-83

2010 “Austrian Economics Behind the Iron Curtain: The Rebirth of an Intellectual Tradition” Review of Austrian Economics, Vol. 23, No. 3, pp.243-268

2010 “What Austrian Business Cycle Does and Does Not Claim as True” Economic Affairs, 2010, pp.70-71

2009 “Look Beyond Your Neighbour: A Peer Group Analysis of the Environment for SMEs Across Europe” (with Davide Sola and Jerome Couturier) Les Cahiers de Friedland No 4., pp.77-92

2009 “Thought Experiments, Counterfactuals and Comparative Analysis” (with Paul Dragos Aligica) Review of Austrian Economics, Vol. 22, No. 3, pp. 225-239

Translated as: 2008 “Thought Experiments, Counterfactuals and Comparative Analysis” (with Paul Dragos Aligica) Revue Française d’Economie Vol. XXI, No. 4, pp. 45-71

2009 “Constitutional Moments in Eastern Europe and Subjectivist Political Economy” Constitutional Political Economy, Vol. 20, No. 2, pp.118-138

2008 “Testing Times for Central Banks: Is There Room for Austrian Economics at the Top Table?” (with Toby Baxendale) Economic Affairs, Vol. 28, Issue 4, pp.36-41

2008 “Austrian Business Cycle Theory in Light of Rational Expectations: The Role of Heterogeneity, the Monetary Footprint, and Adverse Selection in Monetary Expansion” (with Toby Baxendale) Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics Vol. 11, No.3, pp.81-93

*2008 “Dealing with Dissent: Whistleblowing, Egalitarianism and the Republic of the Firm” Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 267-279

*2008 “The cultural foundations of management: a contemporary homage to Mary Douglas“ Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 83-184

*2008 “The Spread of the Flat Tax in Eastern Europe: A Comparative Study” (with Paul Dragos Aligica) Eastern European Economics Vol. 46 No. 3 pp. 55-74

2006 “Are Economic Ideas a Sustainable Commons? A Study of the Exchange of Creative Economics” Romanian Economic and Business Review Vol. 1 No. 3

2006 “The Spread of Economic Theology: The Flat Tax” Romanian Economic and Business Review Vol. 1 No. 1 pp.41-53

2005  “Ideas and Interests: The Flat Tax” Open Republic Vol. 1 No. 1

For working papers please see my entry on the SSRN: http://ssrn.com/author=766179

Book reviews

2021, Peter C. Earle and William J. Luther (Eds.), The Gold Standard: Retrospect and Prospect, Great Barrington: American Institute for Economic Research, 2021, Review of Austrian Economics

2021, John Kay and Mervyn King, Radical Uncertainty: Decision-Making Beyond the Numbers, London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2020, Review of Austrian Economics

Trade journals

Autumn 2012, “What is Austerity?” Economics Affairs Student & Teacher Supplement, Issue 3

July 2012 “Barclays isn’t the only one engaged in the manipulation of interest rates” in The LIBOR Reader, Institute  of Economic Affairs

December 2009 “Ekonomiju ne treba posmatrati iskljucivo kroz prizmu BDP-a” ekonom:east magazin, Broj 501 [in Serbian]

July 2009 “The Times’ Guide to the City”, advertisement feature in Alex Davidson,  How the Global Financial Markets Really Work, Kogan Page

April 2009 “Whistleblowing: using dissent for competitive advantage” Talent Management Review, pp. 23-25

January 2009 “Blowing the Whistle” Payroll & Human Resources, pp.38-40

January 2009 “Egalitarianism and the Failure of Whistleblower Protection” The Whistle, No. 57, pp.8-10

June 2008 “Emerging Market Trends from Europe” Applied Clinical Trials pp.42-50 (with Terence Tse)

2007 “Reflections on Mary Douglas: Institutions, Rationality, and Wisdom” Ama-gi Vol. 8 No.1 pp.61-65

October 2006 “Libertarianism in Romania” Revista 22 no. 867 [in Romanian]

Publications – IDEAS | Publications – Research Gate | Citations – Google Scholar | Working Papers – SSRN

Cases

aje on October 7, 2021

Cases

Pedagogical innovation

Case preparation

Case updates

Assignments

(A “$” denotes that a solution exists, which is available to instructors on request.)

Worksheets

(A “$” denotes that a solution exists, which is available to instructors on request.)

Notes

Other instructor resources that I recommend include those by Luis Cabral and Ivan Png

The case method

aje on October 7, 2021

In August 2009 I attended Harvard Business School’s “Global Colloquium on Participant-Centered Learning“. As a result I have incorporated several cases into my courses (email me if you want advice and/or recommendations) and written some of my own. I found the experience transformative, and despite having some challenges with implementing participant-centred learning, it’s now a big part of how I teach. For general comments on the case method see my posts at The Filter^, or the Case Analysis Coach. Further resources to find learn about the case method:

This is a great insight into what an effective case discussion looks like:

And this is a very useful look what is involved in making the case method effective:

Longer training programmes include:

But my advice to business school instructors is simple: apply to the GCPCL!