Managerial Discretion in Imperfect Markets

This book deals with behavioral responses of management of firms that make several decisions with respect to production, marketing, finance, organization of activities within divisions, and interrelations between divisions (including synergies between them and constraints placed on each other in the attainment of overall goals of the firm). The market conditions, that constitute the basis of such decisions, may be stable, random but predictable, or uncertain. It can be expected that objectives attained by the firm, as a result of decisions of management, may be different from the maximum which can be achieved. A generic conceptualization of such managerial discretion and operationally useful methods of measurement have been presented. It is possible to develop machine learning algorithms on this basis to minimize managerial discretion and assist managers in arriving at strategic decisions thereby leaving more resources to deal with uncertain events as they arise. The volume is a great resource not only for researchers, but also decision makers in corporates.

Dr. Rao is an emeritus professor and an institute fellow of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. His research and publications are in the areas of industrial organization, microeconomic theory, and econometrics.