Dr Bethania Mendes De Brito Antunes MAR.5.27

This course is available on the CEMS Exchange, Global MSc in Management, Global MSc in Management (CEMS MIM), Global MSc in Management (MBA Exchange), MBA Exchange, MSc in Human Resources and Organisations (Human Resource Management/CIPD), MSc in Human Resources and Organisations (International Employment Relations/CIPD) and MSc in Human Resources and Organisations (Organisational Behaviour). This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

This course may be capped/subject to controlled access. For further information about the course's availability, please see the MG Elective Course Selection Moodle page (https://moodle.lse.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=3840).

Incentives are a powerful driver of human behaviour within organisations. This interdisciplinary course delves into the realm of behavioural economics, a fusion of economics and psychology, to unveil the intricate dynamics behind individual decision-making. By understanding incentives, monetary and non-monetary, students gain insights into why and how individuals behave within organisational contexts. Through a rich exploration of theoretical frameworks and practical activities, students learn to design and manage incentive systems that tap into employees' underlying motivations, fostering value creation and organisational goals. This course offers valuable insights for students with diverse career aspirations. Moreover, for aspiring leaders, entrepreneurs and managers seeking to optimise and drive organisational success, the principles covered in this course are universally applicable across industries.  

Course Objectives:

1. Introduce students to the interdisciplinary field of behavioural economics and its relevance in understanding organisational behaviour.

2. Explore theoretical frameworks and tools for designing and managing effective incentive systems.

3. Analyse the impact of incentive systems on employee motivation, attraction, promotion, and retention within organisations.

4. Provide students with the analytical skills to align reward strategy with business objectives.

15 hours of lectures and 15 hours of seminars in the WT.

Students are expected to prepare for, and contribute to, the seminars. Seminars will include group work, preparing and giving presentations, case analyses, small group discussions, and self-assessment exercises. Students on this course will have a reading week in Week 6, in line with departmental policy.

In its Ethics Code, LSE upholds a commitment to intellectual freedom. This means we will protect the freedom of expression of our students and staff and the right to engage in healthy debate in the classroom.

Group presentation. All groups will be given the opportunity to meet with their class teacher one week prior to the assessment date to discuss their presentations and to be given verbal feedback. Students will also be given group feedback on presentations they do in the week 7 seminar.

Students are expected to read widely in the appropriate journals; a detailed reading list will be provided at the start of the course.

Course text books:

Jones, E., and Perkins, S. (2020) Reward Management, Alternatives, Consequences and Contexts. CIPD, London (earlier editions are acceptable); 

Pepper, A. (2015) The Economic Psychology of Incentives. Palgrave Macmillan;

Pepper, S. (2006) Senior Executive Reward – Key Models and Practices. Gower Publishing;

White, G and Druker, J (2008) Reward Management – a Critical Text. Second edition. Routledge.

Class participation (10%), group presentation (50%) and report (40%) in the WT.

The indivudual report (40%) will be based on the presentation.