This book shows how economics can be used to clarify and stimulate thinking about organisations and their decision problems. It is mainly designed for university students of economics, management and business studies and of public and social administration. But its clear and lively exposition will have a wider appeal.

The author introduces economic controversies on organisational power, exchange and self-interest, generosity and public spirit. He outlines many practical uses of such concepts as marginalism, opportunity cost, time preference and risk, scale economies and diseconomies, market power, public goods and externalities. He applies economics to business planning and budgeting problems and also to the problems of social enterprises in obtaining resources through charges and grants and in allocating these resources 'efficiently' and 'fairly'.