This is a course in the history of Western ideas and their relevance for management. Various philosophies of management are pursued through an analysis of distinguished thinkers: Homer, Plato, Diogenes, Epictetus, Machiavelli, Descartes, Hume, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and Sartre. A central theme is that what is important about any explanatory perspective is what it assumes. Since it is assumed that management is essentially a philosophical activity, the course aims to demonstrate that the field of management, which is of recent origin, necessarily draws on a wide range of ancient wisdom and so introduces students to some of the great thinkers of Western civilization. -- Course Website
Instructor: [email protected]
Prerequisites: Admission to MBA or MMgt
