The Hidden Potential of Macroeconomics in MBA Programs for CEO Decision Making

PETER NAVARRO, University of California-Irvine

Abstract

Macroeconomics is a subject that has profound strategic and tactical implications for CEO decision making -- yet many top- ranked business schools do not offer this subject in it's appropriately integrative and applied management context. This essay illustrates how the cultivation of "macroeconomic literacy" in the MBA classroom using four innovative instructional strategies can improve CEO decision making across all functional areas of the firm while helping to meet important AACSB learning goals, including curriculum integration, application of interactive teaching strategies, soft skills enhancement, and promoting a global perspective.