- Docente: Natalia Montinari
- Credits: 6
- SSD: SECS-P/01
- Language: English
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Forli
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Corso:
Second cycle degree programme (LM) in
Business Administration and Sustainability (cod. 5944)
Also valid for Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Management for Social Economy (cod. 8843)
Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Economics and management (cod. 9203)
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from Feb 12, 2025 to Mar 14, 2025
Learning outcomes
This course is intended to allow students to become familiar with the literature in behavioral economics and decision making. The course has two facets: first it will uncover the inner workings of human biases and judgment and the students will gain insights into how inherent bias or poorly structured information can affect business decisions. Second, it will discuss how the adoption of a behavioral economics approach will support managers and decision makers to cope both with economic sustainability of businesses and environmental and social sustainability.
Course contents
Introduction to Behavioral Economics and Sustainability
- Overview of key concepts in behavioral economics
- Importance of sustainability in modern business practices
- Interconnections between human behavior, economics, and sustainable development
Cognitive Biases and Decision Making
- Understanding common cognitive biases (e.g., anchoring, loss aversion, confirmation bias)
- Impact of biases on decision making in business and policy
- Strategies to mitigate biases in organizational settings
Behavioral Insights for Sustainable Business Practices
- Application of behavioral economics to promote sustainable consumption and production
- Case studies of businesses implementing behavioral strategies for sustainability
- Nudging and other behavioral tools to encourage sustainable behavior among consumers and employees
Policy Implications and Behavioral Interventions
- Designing policies that leverage behavioral economics for sustainability
- Evaluating the effectiveness of behavioral interventions in public policy
- Examples of successful behavioral policies in environmental and social sustainability
Readings/Bibliography
Thaler, R. and Sunstein, C. (2009) Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth and Happiness, London: Penguin.
Enste, Dominik; Wildner, Julia; Nafziger, Lucia (2021) : Going green with behavioural economics: How to combine business and ethics, IW-Report, No. 1/2021, Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft (IW), Köln
Additional readings will be provided by the teacher during the course.
Lecture notes:
The lecture notes will be made available on the IOL platform before each class (but might be corrected/updated shortly after the class). They should NOT be taken as the only reference, as they often do not cover the analytical details discussed in the manual, which are important for a thorough understanding of the subject matter.
Teaching methods
The course comprises both traditional lectures and a hands-on laboratory part.
Students will have the chance to play simple experiments in class. We will also discuss and analyze data from prominent research papers.
The class is designed to be highly interactive and students are expected to prepare presentations, videos/podcasts, and short essays.
Assessment methods
Attending students: the final grade will be determined by
• class participation, groups assignments and presentation: 50%
• final essay: 50%
Non attending students: will be evaluated with a written exam based on multiple choice questions and open questions.
The dates of the final exams are fixed and cannot be changed. Requests for additional dates will not be accepted.
The maximum possible grade is 30 cum laude. The grading scale is the following:
<18: Fail
18-23: Sufficient
24-27: Good
28-29: Very good
30: Excellent
30 cum laude: Outstanding (the instructor was impressed)
Grade rejection: students can reject the grade obtained at the exam only once. To this end, they must email a request to the instructor within the date set for registration. The instructor will confirm reception of the request asap.
Teaching tools
During the course, students will be involved in mock experiments, which should provide them with a more vivid idea of the issues to be examined later during the lecture, and active participation to the in-class discussion will be encouraged.
The mock experiments will be computer-based and will require the use of a pc, tablet or smartphone connected to the internet.
Office hours
See the website of Natalia Montinari
SDGs
This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.