Description of Yale School of Management Video: In their first weeks at Yale SOM, students develop their understanding of markets and develop the critical skills to frame problems and make well informed decisions through a series of courses called Orientation to Management. The language and techniques that students learn allow them to move quickly into the nine Organizational Perspectives courses that comprise the heart of the first-year curriculum.

Basics of Economics, led by Keith Chen, associate professor of economics, concentrates on the role of market processes in determining the opportunities facing individuals and business firms, the policy issues facing public officials, and the patterns of resource allocation in the economic system. While covering a range of topics in microeconomics, the emphasis throughout the course is on learning how to approach and tackle economic problems—a skill that will be useful in making managerial decisions.