Barry M. Mitnick, Ph.D.
Professor of Business Administration and of Public and International Affairs
Why this course
While historical context is important in all business decisions, it’s rare to see courses focused on the history of business and therefore, how business has been shaped for the future
Professor Mitnick’s dynamic and varied course covers material from scams to market manipulation, monopolies to bank panics, and more—showcasing how robber barons of old would recognize much about our current economic condition
This course uses powerful narrative form to show how the market, like any other tool, can be exploited and manipulated for personal gain
Course Highlights
Course Objectives
Development of student understanding of:
The forms and management of several major kinds of market manipulations
The historical contexts and consequences of such actions
The insights that such study can provide for modern business behavior
Highlights from the resource list:
Chancellor, Edward. Devil Take the Hindmost: a History of Financial Speculation. Plume, 2005.
Morris, Charles R. The Tycoons: How Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and J.P. Morgan Invented the American Supereconomy. Holt, 2006.
“Social Security Pioneers: Frances Perkins.” Social Security History, www.ssa.gov/history/fperkins.html.
Bussler, Mark, director. Westinghouse: The Powerhouse Struggle of Patents & Business with Nikola Tesla. YouTube, 2013
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Biography
Barry M. Mitnick is Professor of Business Administration and of Public and International Affairs in the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. His research focuses on the institutional theory of agency and the theory of testaments, the generation of assurance of/belief in the credibility of organizational actions, behavior in regulatory organizations, "wicked wicked problems," organizational reputation, and the theory of integrative ethics. Mitnick has served as Division Chair, Program Chair, and PDW Chair in the leadership stream of the Social Issues in Management (SIM) Division of the Academy of Management. He is Associate Editor of Business & Society. In 2014 he received the Sumner Marcus Award of the SIM Division. In 2014 he was also a Finalist for the Aspen Institute Faculty Pioneer Award for his MBA course “Business & Politics.” Mitnick has also received the Katz Excellence in Teaching Award four times.