Tom SpencerNudge Theory, first formulated by the Nobel Laureate Richard Thaler, is part of a relatively new field called behavioral economics, which believes that subtle conditioning and small environmental changes can actually have a profound impact on the behavior of individuals and groups. This theory, and the practical repercussions of it, have been taken to heart […]
Price and value, there is a difference. Price is what you pay for something; the number of dollars that you need to part with in order to obtain it. Value is what you receive; the positive feelings or practical utility that the object or the experience imparts. I recently had my birthday, and I was delighted to […]
(Source: Flickr) Anchoring is a common psychological effect whereby people tend to rely too heavily on readily available information (the “anchor”) when making decisions involving uncertainty. To illustrate the point, let me ask you two questions: Is the population of Argentina greater or less than 80 million? How many people do you think live in Argentina? Write […]
THIS is a very humorous and instructive (albeit PG rated) overview of economics. Here are the super-summary notes: 1. Microeconomics: The price of sh*t is determined by supply and demand. 2. Macroeconomics: Oh, sh*t! 3. Keynesian economics: Sh*t happens because of animal spirits. 4. Neo-keynesian economics: This sh*t is sticky. 5. Neo-classical synthesis: Sh*t happens in the […]
IN MAY 2008 the McKinsey Quarterly spoke to Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, notable for his work on behavioural finance and hedonic psychology, about quality control and improving the decision making process. 1. The decision factory Kahneman says that you can think of an organisation as a factory for producing decisions. The organisation might produce other […]