Fall 2001 

Soc. 144 Organizations and Their Environments

Office: 276 Soc/Psy Bldg
Office Hour: by appointment
Phone: 660-5620
E-Mail: bagao@soc.duke.edu

Prof. Bai Gao

MWF10:30-11.20am.
Social Science Bldg 111

Organizations and Environments: Three Approaches

R. Scott, 1992. "Chapter Four: Organizations as Open Systems," in his Organizations: Rational, Natural and Open Systems. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall. pp.76-96.

Social Structure of the Market

M. Granovetter, 1985. "Economic Action and Social Structure: The Problem of Embeddedness," American Journal of Sociology 91:481-510.

Social Network in the Era of Internet

Jeremy Rifkin.  2000.  The Age of Access.  Chapts 1-2.

Resource Dependence Theory

J. Pfeffer and G. Salancik, 1978. "Chapter Three: Social Control of Organizations," in their The External Control of Organization: A Resource Dependence Theory.  New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, pp.39-61.

How did the Internet Change the Power Centers?

Eric Hellweg, eds.  2000.  “New Power Centers.”  Business 2.0.  January. Pp. 136-162.

Technological Development

Alfred Chandler,  1992. "The Emergence of Managerial Capitalism,"  in M. Granovetter and R. Swedberg, edited, The Sociology of Economic Life.  Westview Press. pp.131-58.

The Internet Boom and Burst

Michael Mandel, 2000. The Coming Internet Depression.  Chapts 2, 4.

Neo-Institutional Theory

P. DiMaggio and W. Powell,  1983.  "The Iron Cage Revisited: Institutional Isomorphism and Collective Rationality in Organizational Fields,"  American Sociological Review,  48(April), 147-60.

Team Debate Two: 

Will B2C (meaning business to consumer) Internet Companies Replace the Traditional Companies? Background: the traditional distribution networks in wholesale and retailing industries are now facing great challenge from the new middleman who does business through the internet.  However, there is a great debate on whether the B2C internet companies could replace completely the traditional companies, or will Amazon.com replace Wal-Mart.

Transaction Cost Theory

Excerpts from O. Williamson, 1985.  The Economic Institution of Capitalism.  New York: The Free Press. pp.15-23; 43-51; 72-80; 103-129.

Organizational Ecology

G. Carroll and M. Hannan,  "Focus on Industry: The Organization Lens", and "An Introduction to Organization Ecology,"  in C & H, pp.3-32.

Political Influence

J. Campbell and L. Lindberg, 1990. "Property Rights and the Organization of Economic Activity by the State,"  American Sociological Review 55:634-47.

Team Debate Three: 

AOL-Time Warner Versus Microsoft: Who Will Prevail in the Future? Background: In the past three years, both AOL and Microsoft have built up enormous strength in the marketplace.  Through a merger with Time-Warner, AOL obtained not only the biggest subscriber pool of 27 millions but also a very strong supply of content.  In contrast, Microsoft continued to occupy the operation system market with several strategic plans to expand its power over other areas. 

Cultural Environment

P. DiMaggio, 1994.  "Culture and Economy," in N. Smelser and R. Swedberg, The Handbook of Economic Sociology. Princeton: Princeton University Press. pp.27-57.

Team Debate Four:

How the Information Revolution will Change the Career Pattern in the Future?  Background: this has direct implications to each of us.  In the past two years, we have seen a phenomenon that many people in various professions quit their former positions in the established industries, heading toward the internet startup.  In this year’s shakeup of the internet companies, however, we can also see a reverse pattern.  At the center of this debate is the issue of whether the information revolution would drastically change our future career pattern.

International Competition

M. Porter, 1990. "The Competitive Advantage of Nations," Harvard Business Review, March-April, pp.73-93.

Team Debate Five:

Is Telecommuting the Future Pattern of Work?  Background:  With the emergence of the internet and other telecommunication technologies, the number of people who work at home increased rapidly.  Some analysts even predict that in the near future telecommute would become the major pattern of work in the US.  Critics, however, disagree by citing various reasons.

Organization in the Era of Globalization

R. Boyer, 1996. "The Convergence Hypothesis Revisited: Globalization but Still the Century of Nations?" in S. Berger and R. Dore, edited, National Diversity and Global Capitalism. Ithaca: Cornell University.